You Can't Fight Destiny
by BellaLeigh1
Summary: Hayley was supposed to stay away. She was one of the things Elijah wanted to forget. But, she couldn't resist seeing for herself that he was okay. She never expected him to fall for "Andrea". Or to end up living a lie that could shatter the man she loves' sanity if she ever gets found out. Ignores most of season 5. This is my take on what SHOULD have happened after the H
1. The Only One We Can Trust

Josh could only stare at Marcel and Hayley in disbelief. "Let me see if I've got this straight. You're going to compel Elijah to forget his family, and Hayley. But, you're afraid that that will make him forget that he's even a vampire. So, you want me to look out for him? Is that about it?" It was a horrible summary of about an hour of discussion, but that was about the only part he had really heard before his brain had shut down.

Hayley was chewing on her lip. "I know that we're asking for a lot. This isn't really a favor. Favor is a pretty weak word for asking you for something that may mean years, decades, centuries of your life. But we… I need to know that he's okay. And you're the only one we can trust with this."

No pressure, there. "Why me?"

"Because eight years ago, you didn't pick up my coin."

"Which is how I ended up being turned and dragged into this freak show of a family. But, doesn't really answer my question."

Hayley smirked. "Doesn't it?"

"You just answered your own question, Josh."

Well, this was certainly a fun game. Not. "Are you two planning on making sense sometime tonight?"

"Nobody dragged you into this family, Josh. You could have left at any time. There are plenty of vampires out there who have nothing to do with their Sires. Even more that have nothing to do with the Mikaelsons. But, you stayed. You more than stayed. You just said it. You're family. That's why you. Because you're one of us."

"Here's the thing. You didn't pick up the coin. Never even made a move towards it. And pretty much from that night on, you have been my right-hand man. Like Hayley said, you could have left at any time. Nobody was holding you here. But, that's not you. You don't walk away. No matter how bad things get, you stay. Loyalty, Josh. It's what I was looking for the night you were turned. And it's what we need, now."

Well, how could he even think of turning them down after that speech? Not that turning them down was ever really a question. They were right. Like it or not, he was family. If anything, he was touched that they felt that way. He had found acceptance with them. Not just acceptance, but a sense of actually belonging somewhere. And now here was Hayley, trusting him with the second most important thing in her life. "Eight years. If some centuries old enemy of the Mikaelsons comes looking for Elijah, I'm going to be pretty fucking useless."

"We're not exiling you, Josh. You are still a part of this family. We're all going to keep in touch. You run into trouble, you send out a mass text. Between me, Hayley, Freya, Davina, and Caroline, we promise that there will be at least one person there to help you as soon as Freya or Davina can get us there."

"And how am I going to get him to trust me?"

"I'll take care of that. You need to head to Atlanta. He'll go there and contact you. He'll know that you are the one person he can always trust, no matter what. If he ever hears the name Elijah Mikaelson, he'll go to you, tell you everything about the person he heard the name from, and then promptly forget it. Same if anyone ever calls him by name without being properly introduced. And then you'll text us."

"Atlanta isn't very far away." Because if this was going to work, he was going to have to get Elijah far away from all of them.

"Atlanta is a starting point. A place for him to find you. He once told me that he wanted to take me to Manosque, France. It was a place he always loved, a place he imagined us settling down in. I think he'd be happy there." Her eyes were suspiciously bright.

He put his arm around her. "This isn't forever, Hayley. You have to trust that Freya will figure out something more permanent to do with the damned Hollow, and then Marcel can give Elijah his memories back, and…"

"And then he can remember that I was a bitch to him, and all of the horrible things I've said to him lately. There's a reason he specifically added me to what he wants to forget, Josh. And it isn't because I'm too closely connected to the rest of his family. It's because I shattered his heart into a million pieces. At least when he doesn't remember me, he also won't be hating me."

"He loves you. Man, the way he looks at you. You can't fight destiny, Hayley. And the two of you have forever. You'll find your way back to each other. One way or another."

"All right, I hate to break up this little love fest. But, we need to get a few more details worked out. Because if Josh is taking Elijah to France, passports might help. Granted, they can always compel their way onto a plane, but still."

"Still, the less attention we draw to ourselves, the better. Elijah is going to need a name. I have an idea for how to get him to France that would actually make perfect sense for me to have his passport. So, get everything taken care of, and give both passports to me. I'll take care of the rest."


	2. Vampire 101

_Two weeks later - Atlanta, GA_

He had nothing but a cell phone with one number programmed into it and a name. Not his own, he didn't know that. But the person that phone number belonged to. Josh Rosza. The one person he could always trust, no matter what.

He walked out of the bus station, trying to find a quiet place to make a phone call. Was nowhere in this damned city quiet? Even in an alley, with no people around, there were weird scuttling noises. And the traffic. Everything was so _loud_.

But, this seemed to be as good as it was going to get. He took the cell phone out and hit call on the only number he had.

"Elijah?"

Elijah. Was that him? He didn't know. Even after hearing it, it didn't sound familiar. "Josh. I… I think I need help."

"Shit. Okay, where are you?"

Where was he? That was a good question. "I'm in an alley. Near a bus station in Atlanta. I think. Everything is fuzzy."

"All right. Go back to the bus station. I'll find you. And Elijah? Try not to kill anyone." And then the phone went dead.

Try not to kill anyone? Why would he say that? Was killing people something he did often? Or was that some kind of joke? Seemed like a not very funny joke to play on someone when they call to ask for help.

He walked back to the bus station and found a bench to sit on. Why was everything so damned loud, though? And then, he noticed another sound. It sounded like drums. Like several drums. Each beating at its own rhythm, not at all connected to any of the other drums. And why was the sound of drums making him hungry?

And then someone was there, pressing a flask into his hand. "Here, drink this. It will help. Christ, they really did a number on you, didn't they?"

"Josh?"

"Yes. I'm Josh Rosza. You're Elijah Montgomery. The rest of this conversation needs to happen somewhere not here. But first, you need to drink that."

Drink, right. Except. "I'm really not thirsty. I'm more hungry than anything."

"Right. Trust me. Drink that, then we'll go somewhere we can talk."

Well, he was apparently not going to get any answers until he did what he was told. He put the flask to his lips and took a drink. What came out was not water. It was thicker than he was expecting, for starters. And the taste. The taste was indescribable. Josh was right about it helping. It seemed to be exactly what he needed. He quickly emptied the flask and pressed it back into Josh's hand. "I need more."

"Right. Let's get you to my apartment. There's more of that there, and we'll be able to talk without having to worry about who might be listening."

Privacy. Right. Because, somewhere there was a "they" who had apparently done something horrible to him. He was suddenly feeling very exposed sitting there.

He stood up. "Lead the way." Because whatever was going on, Josh could fix it. He didn't know much else, but he knew that.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

The ride to Josh's apartment was quiet. Elijah was still trying to make the sound of his own name make sense in his head. And Josh seemed to have something on his mind, as well.

It was when they actually got there that things started to get weird. Elijah found himself physically unable to cross the open doorway. What the Hell?

"Shit. Sorry. Forgot about that. Lease is in the neighbor's name for safety. Give me a minute." He walked past Elijah and knocked on the door across the hall. A tiny woman with red hair answered and Josh just looked at her and said "I need you to tell my friend Elijah that it's okay to go into my apartment."

"Oh, you go on in, Elijah. It's perfectly fine."

And, just like that, whatever barrier had been keeping him out evaporated. Seriously, what was going on? But, he couldn't bring himself to ask. He had a feeling that he should know the answer to that. Josh had talked about his lease being in the neighbor's name like that was supposed to explain something. But, it only left him more confused.

"All right. What do you remember? Anything at all about who you are? What you are?"

What he is? What in the world was that supposed to mean? "Nothing. For all the memories I have, I could have been born on that bus. I knew to call you. That I can trust you. But I don't even know anything about you beyond your name."

"Wow. Okay. You know what? Let me start with a demonstration. This will all be slightly more believable if you see some of it in action." Before Elijah could even ask what that meant, Josh was gone. And then he was back, holding a butcher knife. "The things I do for you, man." He held his arm out in front of him, and sliced from his palm up to his elbow.

"What the hell?!" But, something was happening. The cut healing right before Elijah's eyes. "What the hell?" That time it was not much more than a whisper. "How?"

"It's one of the perks to being a vampire. Along with super speed, super strength, the whole living forever thing. Downside is going outside during the day without this ring leads to vampire flambe. Heightened senses are a bit of a mixed bag. Sometimes it's awesome. Sometimes it's 'oh my God, somebody make all the noise stop.' To think that I used to complain about crickets."

Heightened senses. Make all the noise stop. "The drums."

"What drums?"

"The bus station. It was so loud. And there were all these drums. I couldn't figure out where they were coming from. They didn't seem to have anything to do with each other. And… they were making me hungry, for some reason."

Josh laughed. "Well, you're certainly right about the drums being your heightened senses at work. Those were heartbeats."

Heartbeats. Heartbeats and hunger. Vampires. A flask of something that wasn't water making the hunger better. "Blood. That was blood you gave me." The thought should make him sick. Instead, it reminded him that he was still hungry. "You said you had more, here?"

"Yeah. Just a minute." He disappeared for probably less than a minute, and then came back with a wineglass. Except what was in it, while red, was too thick to be wine. At Elijah's raised eyebrow, he shrugged. "You've never been a blood bag kind of guy."

"Thank you." He took the glass, and took a sip. "So, what else do I need to know?"

"I guess we're starting with Vampire 101."

Over the next several hours, Josh explained what it meant to be a vampire, going over the various myths one by one. Followed by a crash course in witches and werewolves.

Until finally, Elijah ran out of questions. Except one. "So, what do I do, now? I still don't have any idea who I am."

"Who you are is a bit harder. Even I can't tell you everything. But, there is one thing I can tell you. You always knew that something like this happening was a possibility. And you always told me that if it did, I was to get your ass on a plane and take you to the one place you've always felt safe. Even gave me your passport, just in case. So, that is exactly what I'm going to do. Tomorrow, we're going to France."


	3. You Did What?

_It's been several weeks since Josh and Elijah left for France. Hayley and Marcel have finally filled Klaus in on what they did. He took it about as well as you could really expect Klaus to take being told anything after the fact - especially something this major._

 _As always, thank you to everyone who has read the previous chapters and left reviews and or favorited/followed. It is greatly appreciated._

 **Chapter 3 - You Did What?**

Hayley rubbed her temples, and stared defiantly into the camera on her laptop. "Don't fucking yell at me like this was my idea, Klaus. You think I like this? You think I like the fact that I may never see Elijah again? Because believe me, I don't."

"Well then, little wolf, maybe you should have done more to talk him out of it. Maybe even pointed out how much this would hurt you."

She gave a humorless laugh at that. "Like he would have cared about that, right now. Besides, you're the one that put this idea into his head. Pointing out that he wasn't allowed to come running when you ended up going on one of your benders. This started as him not trusting himself to not keep being your fucking babysitter. Forgetting me was a bonus."

Klaus opened his mouth to say something else, but was interrupted. "Enough already! Both of you! Hayley, my brother is an idiot, sometimes. Nobody is going to deny that."

"Which one?"

Rebekah laughed. "Good point. All of them, really. But, right now, we're talking about Elijah. He's an idiot. But, he does love you. I have known that man for a thousand years, and I have never seen him the way he is with you. So, yes, he would have cared that he's hurting you."

"Rebekah, do I need to remind you of the things I said to him, how I treated him after what happened in Freya's pendant?"

"No. You don't need to remind me. But, we've all done far worse things to each other. And yet, here we are. Any one of us would die for any other one of us. And if you think that you aren't included in that, then I don't know what to say to you."

"Well, this is all very sweet, but can we get back to the subject at hand? Namely that our brother is who knows where, with no idea who he is, or that he has a thousand years worth of enemies who might be very interested to find out the vulnerable position he's in, right now."

"Actually, he's not as vulnerable as you may think. And Hayley, Davina, and I all know exactly where he is."

"You! You did this! If you know where he is, then go fix this. And why does Davina of all people know more about what is going on with my brother than I do?"

"No. This was his choice. I did it for him. I'm not undoing it, just because it's inconvenient for you. And as for Davina… Josh was hardly going to leave the country without saying goodbye to her."

Klaus was seriously starting to look like his head was about to literally explode. Hayley would have laughed if the situation wasn't so serious. "And what, exactly, does young Joshua Rosza have to do with any of this?"

Okay, time to draw the fire back to her. "Josh is with him. Which is also the answer to the second part of your concern. Elijah isn't alone. He's being looked after. He's safe."

Klaus didn't look convinced. "He's being looked after. By a child who has been a vampire for less than a decade. I'm sorry, but that does not exactly instill me with confidence."

"Right. Because I'm just going to turn my back on Elijah. I'm just going to sit here, and ignore any problems they may run into over there. And Davina is going to just stop even talking to Josh. Josh is keeping in touch. And now that you know what's going on, he'll keep you in the loop, too."

"And just whose brilliant idea was it to send Josh with him, anyway? Wouldn't it have made more sense to send someone older and stronger?"

"Like who, Klaus?"

"Like anyone! If you can compel Elijah, you can compel anyone."

"Well, that's not what Elijah wanted. Josh was his choice. He knew that there were four people who would come running if they got into trouble. Josh has something nobody else except three of those four people has. He didn't need to be compelled to do this. He's looking out for Elijah because he cares about him. Because he's family. He's one of us. You can't compel true loyalty, Klaus. I'll text you Josh's phone number. You can talk to him. See for yourself that Elijah is fine. But, for now, I need to end this conversation before I say something I'll regret. I'll have Hope call you when she gets home." And with that, Hayley shut down Skype and closed her laptop. And ignored her phone when it rang less than a minute later.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

"Is it safe to talk?"

"Yeah. Elijah is downstairs, keeping the customers entertained. He won't come upstairs for a couple hours, yet."

"And do I even want to know what my brother is doing to keep your 'customers' entertained for hours at a time?"

"I own a bar, Klaus. Though, a bit higher class than Rousseau's was. This place is like something out of a movie. Almost reminds me of Rick's Place in Casablanca. And Elijah is my Sam. He plays the piano. He's damn good, actually. I never would have expected that."

"Yes, he's just full of surprises, lately. Are the two of you really all right?"

"We're doing fine. We gave him an alias, changed his last name. And I'm on vervain so he doesn't accidentally compel me. He seems happy."

"And you? Being uprooted and moving to another continent couldn't have been easy for you."

"Honestly? The hardest part was the language. I still talk to everyone. Mostly through text, to keep from having to worry about him hearing something he shouldn't. But, I'm not cut off or anything. And Elijah and I are becoming friends. I like it, here."

"What about money? Are you doing okay, financially?"

"I own a bar, Klaus. Marcel and Hayley set me up with seed money. And this place is actually doing really well. Clientele may be higher class than Rousseau's, but mixing drinks is still mixing drinks. We're doing just fine."

"You'll keep in touch? Let me know how he's doing? And if you need anything?"

"Of course. I never intended to keep you out of the loop. We just thought you would take this better from Hayley than from me. Now that you know what's going on, I'll text you the same as the others. He really is okay, Klaus. I'm not going to let anything happen to him. And, I'll tell you the same thing I told Hayley. This isn't forever. Freya will figure something out, she'll get rid of the Hollow, and you'll get your brother back."

"I know. But, it's still good to know that in the meantime, he's in good hands. I'll talk to you later."

Klaus ended the call and sighed. Elijah was fine. Josh really was taking good care of him. But knowing that didn't make this any easier. He missed his brother. At least he got to talk to Hope. He didn't even have that much with Elijah. And who knew how long it would be before Freya figured out a way to fix this.

He picked the phone back up and hit send on the number at the top of his speed dial list. "I've talked to Josh."

"Are you still mad at me?"

"No. But, that doesn't keep me from wanting him back."

"You and me both, Klaus. Freya too. So, she is working on this. But, Hope just got home. And you can probably use some time with her, right now."

"Thank you."

A minute later, he was greeted by the one person who could make things better, at least for a little while. "Hi, Daddy."

"Hello, my littlest wolf. How was school, today?"

And as Hope told him all about the things she was learning, and the friends she was making, he closed his eyes and tried not to wonder if he would ever even hear Elijah's voice again.


	4. A Familiar Stranger

_**This is it. The first Haylijah reunion. Elijah has been gone for four years, and Hayley couldn't take it any more. She had to see him. A lot of this is the conversations they had in 5x11. I added some things, changed a few others, and took out the reference to a girlfriend - who doesn't exist in this version. I do plan on filling in some of the past four years, in the form of flashbacks, later. But, I really wanted to get to this part.**_

 _ **As always, thank you for the likes, follows, and comments. They are all very much appreciated.**_

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

 _Four Years Later_

It was all Josh could do not to stare at the pretty little brunette when she walked in, and immediately made her way to the bar and ordered a glass of Bordeaux. He wanted to ask her what the hell she thought she was doing, here. And why she hadn't thought to warn him that she was coming. But, he was afraid of Elijah overhearing. And he couldn't even pass off any extra attention he paid to her as flirting. Which meant that he had to pretend that the woman who could quite possibly accidentally shatter his best friend's sanity wasn't anyone special.

Especially since said best friend kept looking over at her. It would have been cute if Josh wasn't so afraid of it all blowing up in their faces. And so Josh served his customers, and wiped down his bar, and flirted with a few cute guys, and pretended that it was just another day. For about an hour. Until his piano player finally took a break and walked over to talk to the woman he had been all but staring at from the moment she had walked in the room.

"Can I make a guess here? You're either broke, or you're a terrible drunk."

"Excuse me?"

"You've been nursing that drink for over an hour."

Josh rather aggressively started polishing the far corner of the bar. He needed to get Hayley out of there before he died from trying to hold in laughter. He wondered if she had caught the implications of that statement.

"Well, maybe there are some things that neither money nor alcohol can solve. Did you ever have an ex you just… can't seem to get out of your system?"

"Can I recommend something a little stronger than Bordeaux?"

"I'm… I'm fine. But, thank you."

"I'm.. I'm Elijah."

"Andrea."

Well, that was certainly interesting. And technically not a lie. That was the name on her original birth certificate, after all. Though he was curious about why she didn't use her real name. If seeing her face didn't trigger something in Elijah, hearing her name certainly wouldn't.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Andrea."

Josh risked a peek over at them. And they were looking at each other almost the way they used to. To be expected from Hayley, but Elijah's reaction was certainly surprising.

"So, what have you seen of Manosque, so far?"

"Pretty much just the inside of this wineglass."

"Yeah, it's not Paris. But I love this place, you know?"

Yes, she certainly did know. That was why she had sent them here.

"I'm not sure it's the ideal location for the 'how to forget your ex tour', but…"

"To be honest, I closed my eyes, threw darts at a map, and booked some flights. This is just the first stop on the tour."

"Oh? And can I ask where else you'll be heading?"

"A bunch of little towns I had never heard of, before. I seem to be taking a grand tour of Europe. It should be interesting. Though, to be honest, I only landed a few hours ago. You're the first person I've spoken to. Oh. Besides the concierge at Hotel Saint Louis."

"Otto. Notorious flirt."

Hayley laughed. "He is not shy."

"Mm-mm. Not shy. Though, in your case, I'm not entirely sure I blame him."

Elijah really was going to be the death of Josh, if Hayley didn't get her ass out of there, soon.

"Now who's flirting?"

"Maybe just a little. But, unfortunately, I have to go. There's an art show I'm supposed to be going to see." He stood up. "It was a pleasure to meet you, Andrea. I do hope that I'll see you again before your tour leaves for its next destination." And then he walked out of the bar. But, he kept glancing back at her.

As soon as Elijah was gone, Josh walked back over to Hayley. "Have you lost your mind? What are you doing here?"

"I had to see him, Josh. I had to see for myself that he was okay. Not that I don't trust you. I know that you're taking care of him. But I love him. And I haven't seen him in four years. And I missed him. I know that this was stupid. But, I had to. Just this once."

"This could have blown up in our faces. You know that, right? Seeing you, again… What if he had remembered you? Hell! I almost think that part of him did. I've been here with him for four years. He's dated other women. But, I have never seen him like that, Hayley. I have never seen him flirt so blatantly. Not to mention…" No, if Hayley hadn't caught the implications, he wasn't going to point them out to her.

"Not to mention, what?"

"Nothing. Forget it." And then he noticed her right hand, and the ring that looked an awful lot like a more feminine version of the ring Davina had made for him twelve years ago. "What's with the Daylight Ring? You don't need one. Perks of being a hybrid, right?"

"It was Hope's idea. Didn't really need it for this trip. But, if Elijah and I ever see each other again, the fact that I haven't aged will probably come up. This way, he won't question my being out during the day."

"If you ever see each other again? I mean, you just said 'just this once'. The next time you see him, it will be because Freya figured something out, and defeated the Hollow, and Marcel gave him his memories back. Right?"

"Hope is… convinced that Elijah and I are soulmates, and that we're going to find our way back to each other, Hollow or no Hollow. And she thinks I should be prepared. And, since I can hardly tell him that I'm a hybrid, because of the questions that would raise, I needed a Daylight Ring."

Josh laughed. "Your daughter is a hopeless romantic."

"She's a twelve year old girl. I think that 'hopeless romantic' is part of the definition. But, she knew Elijah and I were together before. She knew how much I loved him. She knows I still do. And I know that Klaus and Rebekah at least have been telling her stories about us. They both seem more interested in getting him back for my sake than their own." She passed her wineglass back to him and stood up. "Coming here was stupid. All seeing him did was make me miss him even more. And I don't know how long it's going to be before I get him back. Or if I'm even going to ever get him back."

"Don't talk like that. You have two firstborn Mikaelson witches working on this. Freya and Hope will figure something out." Because Hope was certainly getting old enough to include in that. Considering the things Davina had been capable of at not much older than Hope was, now. Yes, Davina had been a Harvest Girl, but Hope was a Mikaelson. And there were entire covens of witches that quaked in fear at the very sound of her name.

"Logically, I know that. I know that neither one of them is going to rest until we can safely get him back. But, I'm scared, Josh. And I thought that seeing him would help. But, it didn't. It just reminded me of everything I lost. No, everything I threw away. I threw away our last few months together being angry with him over something that wasn't even him. And never mind that I was being a total hypocrite in the process. About all I have to comfort myself with is that at least the last words I said to him were that I love him. I…" She folded her arms on the bar, put her head down and cried. "I was so stupid. And I just want him back."

She eventually pulled herself together and stood up. "I should go. I definitely shouldn't be here when he gets back."

She looked so defeated. Seeing her like this made Josh want to cry, himself. He couldn't do much for however long it took them to fix things. But, he could give her tonight. He wasn't sure if it would help or make things worse. But, it was the best he could do. And, for all his jokes with her about Hope, he was just as much of a hopeless romantic as he accused her of being. At least when it came to these two. "Look, maybe you shouldn't leave just yet. I'm supposed to be going to that art show. I have no interest in it. What if I give you my ticket? You go, give yourself one night."

"You really sure that's a good idea?"

"Honestly? I'm not sure of anything, anymore. Except that I'm more sure than ever that the two of you are meant to be together. So, go. Hang out with him for one night. Let yourself have fun. Give that hopeless romantic of a daughter of yours more incentive to find a way to get her Uncle Elijah back. Maybe it will help you. Maybe it will just make things worse. I don't know. Maybe by offering this, I'm just setting you up for even more heartbreak."

She smiled at him. "Maybe. But, if I get hurt more by it, it serves me right. Would you really do that for me?"

Josh smiled and handed her his ticket. "There you go. It's just up the street at Cafe Etoile. And Hayley? Be careful. You know better than anyone just how fragile his mind is, right now. And I know that you are the last person to ever want to see him hurt. So… watch yourself, okay?"

She nodded, then leaned over the bar to kiss him on the cheek. "I'll be careful. The last thing I want is to hurt him. And Josh… thank you." And then she walked out.

Josh picked up his cell phone, unlocked it, and sent a group text to the entire Mikaelson clan: "Of all the gin joints in all the world, guess who just walked into mine."

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

"Do you know the artist?"

Elijah couldn't help but smile as he turned to greet Andrea. "No. I'm, uh, friends with the cafe owner."

"Well, I hope he's a better cook than a curator."

"I see. You don't like culture." In truth, she was actually right. The best thing that could be said about the paintings was that they were interesting. But, for some reason, he was enjoying baiting her.

"You live in France, and you call this culture?"

"Obviously this is beneath you." Why couldn't he stop smiling? "Shame on me."

Andrea rolled her eyes. "Come on. This… this is derivative."

"Yeah. It's a little derivative. You know what I've found, though?" He grabbed two glasses of wine from a passing waiter and handed one to her, before taking a sip from the other. "The more you drink, the more exceptional the art becomes."

"And the prettier your company becomes as well, I would assume."

"Possibly. Not that you need the help." Had he really said that? He ducked his head. "I mean…"

"You're quite the charmer, you know that?"

"I assure you that I am being very sincere. I do apologize if I'm coming on a bit strong. The last thing I want is to be lumped in with Otto."

"And when did I compare you to Otto? For some reason, what's creepy and annoying from him is rather cute and charming coming from you."

Cute? She thought he was cute? He grinned wider. Which, if he wasn't careful, he was going to end up crossing the line into "creepy and annoying", himself. "Now who's flirting?"

She blushed, but didn't look away. "Maybe a little." She laughed and took a sip of her wine. "Anyway… The thing is, I used to be intimidated by things like this."

"You don't strike me as the shrinking violet type."

"Oh, I could kick your ass."

"I don't doubt it." Actually, he highly doubted it. But only because he wasn't human. Without the superhuman strength his vampire blood gave him, who really knew? Not that it mattered much, because he wasn't the type to hit a woman, even without the unfair advantages he would have in any physical fight with any human being.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"You love it here, don't you? I mean… you're happy?" Something about the way she was looking at him when she asked that was a bit unsettling. Like she, for some reason, needed to know that he was happy. Not as a recommendation of the city, but out of concern for him.

Which was, of course, a completely insane vibe to be getting off of a complete stranger, and he was probably very much misreading things. Or, maybe it was the fact that he found himself already wishing that she wasn't going to be hopping onto another plane soon, and he was projecting his own feelings onto her. "It's love at first sight. When something feels right, you don't question it."

The smile she gave him at that made him glad he had a Daylight Ring. He chuckled. "You know what? You're right. What do you say we stop pretending to be interested in the art? I would honestly rather just sit down somewhere and talk to you. I know you have another plane to catch, and I can't help wanting to take advantage of what time we have, together."

"I'd like that." So, why did she look so sad?

Elijah smiled and took her hand, leading her to an empty table near the musicians. The dancing had already started. Not the spinning and twirling that would eventually happen when the music's tempo increased. They were still playing the kind of music you would expect at an art show. But, some couples were out there, swaying together.

"Do you think they know how rare that is?"

He looked over at Andrea who was nodding towards Sylvie and Christophe. "What do you mean?"

"To love someone for so long."

Elijah chuckled. It was an easy mistake to make. The couple in question certainly looked more like they had recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary than their third. "Actually, until recently, Sylvie was a widow and Christophe was a bachelor. They got married right here, three years ago, as a matter of fact."

"Well, I guess that will teach me to be sentimental."

"Yeah, I guess some of these things can't be measured in time." He looked over at her. "You ever feel like that?"

"Like what?"

"Like you were just… destined for someone?"

"Yes. Once before." But she looked sad, again.

And then he remembered why she was in France. "I'm sorry. The ex. For a minute, I forgot that you were here trying to get over someone." Which meant that even if she wasn't leaving soon, the most he would be to her was a rebound. The thought was depressing as Hell.

He shook his head and stood up, then held his hand out. "May I have this dance?"

Her response was another light-up-the-room smile and to take his hand and let him lead her out onto the dance floor.

There was an awkwardness to their dance. Then again, they hardly knew each other. And yet, a part of him felt like he had known her all his life. Which, was almost ironic coming from him. He hadn't even known himself his whole life.

As the song came to an end, their eyes met. And he could see it. If he leaned in and kissed her, she wouldn't pull away, she'd kiss him back. And, for one eternal moment, looking into her eyes, he almost did. But, he knew that he wouldn't be able to leave it at just one kiss. He would ask her to stay. To see if there was something to the way he felt so drawn to her. And she wouldn't be able to. She had places to go, and a home to return to. And even if she stayed, he didn't want to be a rebound.

If only they had met in another time, another place. Before some other man had broken her heart. In some other life. He smiled ruefully. "I know you have to go. I guess I'll see you in the next life." He wasn't even sure what he meant by that. Except that there was this little voice in his head telling him that she was the one he had been talking about, before. That he was destined for her. And somehow, they would find each other again, someday.

"If we're destined to meet each other in another life, just know… I'll be waiting for another dance." She kissed his cheek and then walked away.

He could only stare after her, this oh-so-familiar stranger. He didn't even know her last name. He couldn't find her again, no matter how much he might want to. If they were ever to see each other again, it would be up to her.

He shook his head. He was behaving like a lovesick fool. Over a woman he'd known only a few hours. But, even knowing that, there was still a part of him hoping that she would feel that same unexplainable connection and return to him, one day.


	5. A Bunch of Gossipy Old Hens

_Picks up almost immediately after the last chapter. Though, much of the conversation actually takes place during the time Hayley was with Elijah at the art show. Josh, Caroline, Marcel, and the Mikaelsons are discussing Hayley being in Manosque. But, what will Hayley's reaction be when she finds out that everyone is talking about her?_

 _As always, thank you for your likes, follows, and comments. They mean a lot to me._

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

Hayley wasn't sure how to feel when she found her way back to her hotel room. On the one hand, she had had an amazing night. Seeing Elijah again had been wonderful. And to be held in his arms while they danced… The only thing that would have made it better was if he had kissed her.

He wanted to. She could see it in his eyes. Something had made him pull away. But for one minute, he was definitely thinking about it. She honestly wondered what had made him pull away, and if she had done something wrong. She sighed and pulled out her cell phone, intending to call Caroline so she could talk to Hope.

Instead, she discovered that while she had been talking to Elijah, her entire family had been having a grand old time discussing the two of them. Looking at the sheer number of messages, she was glad that she had turned the phone off while she was with Elijah. It would have been going off constantly.

JR: Of all the gin joints in all the world, guess who just walked into mine.

MG: Man, what is it with you and quoting movies?

RM: Leave him be, Marcel. I'm guessing that Hayley is there?

JR: Yes, Hayley is here. Question is why?

CF: Umm… because she's in love with Elijah and misses him? This is not hard.

JR: I get that. But, why is she here? Why risk things? Especially since there's no way for this to go anywhere until Freya and Hope figure out something to do with the Hollow.

RM: I don't know. I think that "because she loves him and misses him" is a perfectly reasonable explanation.

NM: Joshua, just ignore the ladies. They are hopeless romantics, the lot of them. Seems to be a side-effect of that extra X chromosome.

NM: Now then. What did my brother do when she walked in? Tell us everything.

FM: Now who's being a hopeless romantic?

NM: Just because I want news of our brother, doesn't mean anything.

KM: Keep telling yourself that, brother.

NM: It's about time you chimed in.

RM: Honestly, everyone just hush. I have seen it pop up that Josh is typing and then he stops three times, already. Let him get a word in edgewise, will you?

JR: Thank you, Rebekah.

JR: He was playing the piano when she walked in.

NM: Which doesn't actually tell us much. Don't tell me that they didn't even talk to each other.

FM: But you're not a romantic, Klaus. Keep telling yourself that.

JR: Do you guys want to hear this or not?

RM: I don't know about them, but I do. Just ignore them. Great thing about doing this by text message instead of an actual phone call or video chat is that it doesn't really matter what other conversations are going on. You can just say what you need to say.

CF: Yes! Ignore Klaus and tell me and Rebekah what happened! I need something to tell Hope when she asks me if I've heard from Hayley.

JR: Anyway… When he was done, he walked over to her and made some comment about her being either broke or a bad drunk, since she had been nursing a glass of wine for over an hour.

CF: Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! Rebekah! Do you know what this means?!

RM: He watched her for over an hour before he got up the nerve to go talk to her!

MG: I fail to see how you get that. I mean, he may have noticed her when she came in, and had an idea how long she was there, but…

CF: But how did he know it was the same glass of wine if he hadn't been watching her and known that she hadn't been drinking it?

CF: She could have downed any number of glasses in an hour. But he knew that she hadn't.

CF: Hello! There's only one way he could have known that!

Hayley had been laughing at her family's antics up until that point. Yes, they were talking about her, but it was all in good fun. And all because they loved her and Elijah. But, that exchange sobered her up. This was what Josh had been talking about. She hadn't caught that, but Josh had. Elijah had been watching her. For over an hour. If it had been anyone else, it would have been creepy. But, from Elijah? It was a weird mix of feeling giddy and sad. He had noticed her. Not only noticed her, but needed to get up courage to talk to her. And now she had to walk away from him, make him think that, for her, he was just some random guy she met in a bar and had a perfectly innocent chat with because he was better company than Otto.

NM: She actually does have a point.

KM: Davina is reading over my shoulder, pretending not to care, shaking her head, and muttering about how clueless men are.

KM: I kind of resent being lumped into that, actually.

KM: I have been told to shut up and let Josh finish telling his story.

JR: Are you all finished?

JR: They chatted for a bit. She introduced herself as Andrea. Made up some story about closing her eyes and throwing darts at a map.

JR: When he found out that this was just the first stop, he asked where else she was going.

CF: Considering taking a vacation and going with her, perhaps?

MG: I highly doubt that making him forget us changed his personality enough that he would just follow some random girl around Europe for a few weeks.

JR: ANYWAY. She mentioned having just landed a few hours ago and that he's the first person she's talked to besides the concierge at her hotel.

JR: Turns out our boy knows said concierge and commented on him being a notorious flirt - and then commented that in her case, he doesn't blame him.

RM: Was Elijah FLIRTING? Rather blatantly, no less?

JR: Oh, he was. She even called him out on it, and he ADMITTED IT.

KM: Holy shit!

FM: Geez. I have to put my phone down for a bit to go deal with something and I come back to having missed all the gossip.

NM: I thought you were awfully quiet over there.

FM: Shut up and let me catch up.

FM: Okay. So, he admitted to flirting with her. Then what?

JR: Then he had to go because he had promised to go to some art show at a nearby cafe. He told her that he hoped he'd see her again before her tour left for its next destination. And then I talked to her for a bit.

JR: Ended up telling her where he was going and giving her my ticket. So… they're together right now.

CF: Well Hell! What's the over-under on what time he's actually going to come home?

RM: Are we talking about the odds of him actually spending the night in his own bed, rather than hers? Honestly, I don't know that I want to bet against you on that.

NM: Ladies, please! That's my brother you're taking bets on!

RM: And who was the one who teased Hayley about it the first time they slept together? Oh, right. That was you. So, don't you dare try to get all high and mighty with me, now.

NM: There is a world of difference between teasing Hayley and running a betting pool.

MG: Don't let him fool you. He's just upset that you guys are all coming down on the same side, so he has nobody to bet against.

JR: Hey Freya! Glad you're back. I wanted to ask you if that Daylight Ring she was sporting would actually work if she needed it, and who made it.

NM: She has a Daylight Ring? Why does she have a Daylight Ring? She doesn't bloody well need one.

FM: This is news to me. So, my guess as to who made it would be Hope. And considering where she goes to school…

CF: Yeah, pretty sure that if Hope made it, it would work. Not that she needs it.

NM: Which brings us back to my question of why she has one. She doesn't need it. The only reason Hope would make her one is if…

RM: If she's preparing them for Hayley to move there to be with him, one day.

JR: Which is exactly what Hayley said when I questioned her about it. That Hope thought she should have one so that if she ever sees Elijah again she can be honest about being a vampire without having to bring the whole hybrid thing into it.

FM: Well, don't I just feel the love, there? Hope knows how hard I'm working on making it so that we can get our family back, again. So, this feels like she doesn't trust me to actually be able to do it.

NM: Or maybe she's just preparing for Elijah not coming back to us, even if we do get rid of the Hollow. And honestly, that might actually be the best thing for him.

RM: Don't say that, Nik. Don't you want Elijah back?

NM: Of course I do. But, he's happy where he is. I'm more concerned with getting him and Hayley back together. We can get him "back" as our brother-in-law, but without him feeling this insatiable need to take care of us. The best of both worlds, really. He can be truly happy.

FM: We can decide exactly what Elijah gets told when, not if, I get this fixed so that we can all be together.

JR: Well, he just got home. So, I'm putting my phone on mute. If Elijah is home, that means that Hayley should be around to interrogate soon. I can't wait to read that conversation.

Hayley was crying, now. But, she had to jump in.

HM: Niklaus Mikaelson! How can you possibly say that it would actually be better if Elijah never gets his memories back?

NM: I stand by everything I said to Rebekah about it. I won't repeat myself. The important thing is the two of you figuring something out. The rest of us can make do just fine with him being around because of you.

NM: Now then. There's plenty of time for us to argue about this another time. What happened after the two of you left the bar?

Hayley rolled her eyes.

HM: I agree with your sisters. You are as much of a hopeless romantic as Caroline. Speaking of which…

CF: No! You do not get to dodge this by talking about me and Klaus! We are discussing you traveling halfway around the world to see Elijah! Now, spill, girl! What happened when you got to the art show?

HM: There's not really a whole lot to tell. He seemed happy to see me when I got there. I teased him about his taste in art. We flirted a bit. He asked me if I would like to sit somewhere and just talk, so we did. Then he asked me to dance.

RM: Dance? At an art show?

HM: The show was in a cafe, and they had musicians there. There were other couples dancing, already. It wasn't as weird as you're making it out to be.

RM: So, you danced. And then what?

CF: Did he kiss you? Oh, tell us he kissed you!

Hayley laughed.

HM: He didn't kiss me. Though… I think he wanted to. Actually, I am almost positive that he wanted to. But, something held him back. And then he told me that he knew that I had to go, and that he guessed he would see me in the next life.

NM: What in the world does THAT mean?

HM: How should I know? He's your brother, you tell me. So, I told him that if we were destined to meet in another life, to know that I would be waiting for another dance. Then I kissed his cheek and left.

NM: So, now we wait until young Joshua can jump in and tell us Elijah's side of this.

RM: The suspense is killing me! I want to know why he didn't kiss her!

HM: If I'm being honest, so do I. I can't help wondering if I did something wrong.

RM: I highly doubt it. My guess is that Elijah is still Elijah, and he was being noble.

CF: And he knew that if he kissed you, he'd end up in your hotel room.

HM: Caroline Elizabeth Forbes!

MG: Cut her some slack, Hayley. If you've read our whole conversation then you know that all of the ladies - and Klaus - were speculating the exact same thing.

KM: My wife says that if we weren't all such a bunch of gossipy old hens who made Josh put his phone on mute so that Elijah wouldn't get curious, she could probably find out for us.

KM: One, I resent being lumped into that, since I haven't been gossiping. Two, why is she calling us gossipy old hens when she's the one that wants to CALL Josh to get the scoop?

DC: And three, my husband has just had his phone privileges revoked for the rest of the night. He'll talk to you all tomorrow. Good night, everyone.

MG: Dayum! I never thought I would see the day that Kol Mikaelson was whipped.

RM: Right! Like you wouldn't put your phone down for the night if I wanted to go to bed.

MG: Which is entirely different than him allowing his wife to revoke his phone privileges.

RM: If you think that isn't a euphemism, then you're hopeless. He hasn't actually had his phone taken away. I'm guessing that what REALLY happened is that she told him that she's going to bed with or without him.

MG: Isn't it awfully early to be going to bed, over there?

RM: All the more reason for him to put his phone down when she says that, then.

NM: Why do all of you insist on discussing each other's sex lives? I really don't need to hear this.

RM: You're just jealous because you don't have one. Honestly, Caroline can you please take care of that, already?

CF: REBEKAH! Leave me out of this!

HM: We would leave you out of it, but you are so very much a part of it. Klaus is head over heels for you, you know.

NM: Wait a second! How did this become about me and Caroline, anyway?

RM: You'll notice that he isn't denying it.

HM: And, turn about is fair play. You're sitting here discussing the odds of Elijah and I ending up in bed together - when from his perspective, we just met today. Only fair for me to turn the tables on you.

RM: As for me… I am fully embracing the accusation made about me. I AM a hopeless romantic. Marcel and I are happy. Freya has Keelin. Kol is with Davina. Elijah and Hayley are obviously going to find their way back to each other, one way or another. That just leaves Nik.

HM: And Josh.

RM: Yes. We really need to find that boy a boyfriend.

FM: Which is, unfortunately, a little hard for us to do from here. Then again, he owns a bar. It would not surprise me at all if he's doing much better in the romance department than he's telling us about.

RM: You would think that if he had someone serious in his life, he would have at least have told Davina. Who would have told Kol. Who would have told us.

NM: Just because he may not have anyone serious in his life, doesn't automatically mean he's been celibate.

HM: Now who's discussing other people's sex lives?

NM: The difference is that Joshua isn't my sibling.

RM: Plus, contemplating Josh's sex life is deflecting the conversation from him and Caroline - who has been awfully quiet, lately.

CF: I notice that Hayley has also neatly side-stepped the bit about her and Elijah. And, after all, isn't this conversation supposed to be about them?

NM: Yes. Yes, it is supposed to be about them. And I notice that Rebekah seems to be getting on board the same train of thought that I am on.

RM: I never said that I agree with the idea of us never getting him back. Just that, it is quite obvious that even without his memories, he is quite taken with "Andrea". Soulmates will always find each other, one way or another.

HM: Well, guys. It's been fun. But, it is several hours later here than over there. And I have jetlag.

RM: I would say "sweet dreams", but I think we all know what you're going to be dreaming about. And that your dreams will be very sweet, indeed.

NM: Enough with the sex talk, already! Good night, Hayley.

HM: Good night, everyone.

Hayley turned her phone off with a laugh. She had to admit that Rebekah wasn't exactly wrong. Her sleep was probably not going to be the most restful, but she was certainly going to have very good dreams.


	6. A Female Perspective

_Takes place right after the group chat from the last chapter. Klaus is downright giddy about how well things went for Hayley with Elijah. So, he calls to tell Hope everything. But, it seems that his little girl isn't so little, anymore._

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

Klaus put his phone down with a smile. And then he raised his hand, getting the bartender's attention. "Open my tab. Drinks for the rest of the night are on me."

"You know that can get expensive, Mister Mikaelson."

"And you know that I'm good for it. My brother and sister-in-law had been going through a very rough patch, to the point of actually being separated. Tonight, they took the first steps to mending things and getting back together. This calls for a celebration."

"Well, my congratulations to them. I hope things continue to go well."

"As do I. That girl was the best thing to ever happen to him. It's good to have him start to recognize that, again. But, now I have a certain little lady that is going to be even happier than I am to hear this. So, I should go call her."

Once outside, it took all of his restraint not to vamp-speed all the way back to his hotel. And only slightly less not to do a Fred Astaire impersonation and dance his way there. Though, once at the hotel, he did abandon restraint and just jumped onto his balcony rather than wait for an elevator.

The second he was in his suite, he pulled his phone back out and Facetimed Caroline. "Is she still awake?"

Caroline just laughed. "Well, you _are_ one of two people allowed to break her curfew. Calling to tell her about Hayley seeing Elijah?"

"Well, since Hayley is apparently exhausted, somebody needs to. Shame that that exhaustion was just from jetlag, though."

"Klaus!"

"Like I'm the only one thinking that. Hell! _She's_ probably thinking that."

Caroline giggled. "Oh, I'm not going to try to say that we aren't all probably thinking it. But, after all your complaints about us discussing their sex lives, it's kind of funny to hear you be the one to actually say it."

He shrugged. "I'm in a good mood. Do you blame me?"

"Not at all. It was definitely good to hear about how things went. Now we just need to figure out a way to actually get them back together."

"I have every confidence in Freya. She'll fix this, and they'll be able to be together. Have faith, Caroline."

Somehow, Klaus didn't even notice that Caroline had apparently been walking through the school while she was talking to him. Until she stopped. "Hope? You have a phone call."

"Is it Mom? Did she tell you how things went? Is she with Uncle Elijah? Did he recognize her? No. Marcel would have done too good of a job for that. But, did they talk? Did he like her?"

Klaus blinked at the rapid-fire questions that didn't allow anybody to get a word in edgewise to actually _answer_ any of those questions. "Is she always like this? She usually seems much more level-headed when she talks to me."

"Dad! Did you hear?! Mom went to see Uncle Elijah!"

"I heard, my littlest wolf. Caroline, can you please give her your phone?" And then he was looking at his daughter's excited face. "I did hear. Josh texted all of us when she just showed up in his bar."

"Wait! You heard about it from _Josh_? Where is Mom? Oh my God! Is she still with Uncle Elijah? What time is it, there? Do you think they're…"

"Hope Andrea Mikaelson! If you finish that sentence you will be grounded until you're seventy! And don't think your mother won't back me up on that one."

She got that attempting to look innocent expression that he recognized far too well from Rebekah. "I wasn't going to say anything bad."

"Sure you weren't. Now, do you want to hear what I know of what happened, or not? We can just wait until tomorrow when your mother can fill you in"."

"No! I'll behave. Tell me everything."

He chuckled. He would say that her enthusiasm was infectious, but the truth was that he called her because he needed to talk to somebody that would be just as giddy as he was, and wouldn't make fun of him for it. The rest of the family might be able to give him the first half of that, but only Hope could give him the second. "So… Apparently, he watched her for like an hour before he actually went up to talk to her."

"An hour?! He was watching her for an _hour_?" Hope actually shrieked. Klaus winced, partly in pain and partly in sympathy for the eardrums of every vampire at that school.

"An hour. Caroline and Aunt Rebekah both think he was trying to get up the nerve to go talk to her. And then… he was flirting with her. So obviously that when she called him out on it _he admitted it._ "

"Oh my God! What exactly did he say? Did Josh tell you guys?"

"She was talking about how he was the first person she talked to besides the concierge at her hotel. And he commented on how the man in question is a notorious flirt, but that in her case, he doesn't blame him."

Hope squealed. "And he even admitted to _her_ that he was flirting? Dad! You know him better than anyone. Is that normal?"

"Well, it certainly isn't normal for Elijah Mikaelson. Josh would know better if it's normal for Elijah Montgomery."

The look Hope gave him was just a little too thoughtful, and Klaus sighed. "Don't even think about it. You are not going to call Josh and interrogate him."

"You take all the fun out of everything."

"I'm your father. That's my job."

"Fine! So, then what?"

"So, he had to go to some art show. Which, Josh talked to her and gave her his ticket so she could go to."

"Did she go?! Do we know anything about what happened? I mean, I'm kind of hoping we don't, yet. And that she's still with him."

Klaus ran his hands through his hair. "You are as bad as your Aunt Rebekah. No, she isn't still with him."

"Well, that's disappointing. Though, it does mean that you can tell me more."

He laughed. "You are incorrigible."

"Less commentary on me, more talk about Mom and Uncle Elijah."

"Before I tell you that, though. Your mother has a Daylight Ring?"

"Well, I know that Aunt Freya is working really hard on getting us all back together. She misses all of you, especially Uncle Elijah. But… I wanted Mom to be prepared. Just in case."

"Well, you're going to have to explain yourself to her. She's feeling a bit hurt, thinking that you think she isn't going to be able to ever fix this."

Hope sighed. "That isn't at all it! Ugh! Now I have to call her first thing in the morning and try to explain it to her. Perfect."

"So, is it a real Daylight Ring, or does it just look like one?"

"It would work. It was good practice, making one for someone that didn't actually need it. I can make you one, if you want."

"I'm good, thanks. I was just curious is all."

"Okay, enough distractions. Have you heard from Mom, yet?"

Klaus laughed. "I have. And she did go to the art show. Uncle Elijah seemed happy to see her, when she got there. They flirted a bit. Sat and talked for a bit. Danced."

"Flirted? Both of them?! Ooo… did he kiss her?! Tell me he kissed her!"

"Unfortunately no. He didn't kiss her. She thinks he wanted to, though."

Hope gave an exasperated sigh that perfectly matched Klaus's own opinion on that subject. "Why are boys so stupid, anyway?"

"Excuse me? Pretty sure your Uncle Elijah stopped being a 'boy' a very long time ago."

"Fine! Why are _men_ so stupid? Is that better?"

"Much. As for his so-called stupidity, I think it may have actually been chivalry. After all, he knew she couldn't stay, that she had a life waiting for her back in America. Maybe he thought a kiss would imply a promise neither of them could keep."

Hope sighed again, but this one was different. She sounded… the way teenage girls got whenever the current teen heartthrob was mentioned. Not that Klaus had time to process that, before she was talking. "That is so incredibly romantic."

"It is?" He had never considered that there _not_ being a kiss could somehow be more romantic than there being one.

"It is! People kiss all the time, and it doesn't always mean anything. This sounds like he wanted it to mean something. Like… when he kisses her… It isn't going to be a goodbye. It's going to be a hello. You know?"

Klaus ran his hand over his eyes. He wasn't expecting this. When had she grown up so much? He was starting to understand how Hayley had felt the first time she saw Hope walking. He was missing everything. His little girl was growing up, and not even almost nightly phone calls were enough for him to feel like he was actually a part of it.

"Dad?"

"Sorry. I was off in my own world for a minute, there. Well, with any luck, your uncle is telling Josh everything, and we'll hear his side tomorrow. But, now I should let you go. Can you find Miss Forbes and give her her phone back?"

"Of course." She smirked. "Should I keep the call open so you can talk to her?"

"Please. Wait! What is that look for?"

"I'm not stupid. I know you talk to her almost as much as you talk to me. When are you going to ask her to spend a summer in L.A. with you?"

"Oh, not you, too!"

"Which, is not a denial."

"Have I mentioned that you sound like your Aunt Rebekah?"

"You might have. I'm not taking it as an insult." She had been walking, but she stopped. "Be brave, Dad. Be brave like Mom is. You deserve to be happy, too." And then she ran the rest of the way to Caroline's office and may have actually thrown the phone to her. Like she was afraid she was going to get yelled at, again.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

"Why is your daughter throwing things at me?"

"Because she's ending our conversation before I can yell at her."

Caroline laughed. "Welcome to the wonderful world of adolescent girls. Let me guess. She jumped on the same thought process that Rebekah and I were on?"

"Yes!" Which was true, even if it wasn't what Hope was going to get yelled at for, that time. Klaus wasn't ready to talk about the end of his conversation with her, and so jumped at the chance to talk about something else. "Did you catch what she started to say right after you handed her the phone? That wasn't the only time she implied something like that. In fact, the next time, she basically said that she _hoped_ they were!"

"She's a bit of a hopeless romantic. It's to be expected, I think."

"She's _twelve._ "

"Yes. She's twelve. I'll spare you the details of what that means, but she _is_ starting to have hormones, Klaus. Love and sex are starting to become things to her."

Klaus choked at that. " _Sex_ is starting to become a thing?!"

"Wait! Calm down! She isn't anywhere _near_ thinking about it for herself. But… wondering who _else_ might be having it? Yeah. She's there. And Hayley is in love with Elijah. And we're all hoping that there is a part of Elijah that is still in love with her. That regardless of what happens with the Hollow… those two find their way back to each other. Don't tell me you aren't."

"Of course I am! But, this doesn't change the fact that my twelve year old daughter is apparently speculating on her _mother's_ sex life."

Caroline actually rolled her eyes at him. "And how did Hayley _become_ Hope's mother, Klaus? Granted, pretty sure the thought of you and Hayley having sex with _each other_ still weirds Hope out. But, Hayley and Elijah? She's old enough to understand that that is something that people who are in love do. So, yeah. She's speculating. Not on details, but the thought that there is some part of Elijah that recognized his soulmate and wanted to be with her in every possible way? That she's speculating on. It isn't nearly as sordid and weird as you're making it out to be."

Klaus wasn't sure how much sense that actually made. But, he was hardly going to argue with Caroline about adolescent female brains. She would certainly know more about that than he would, having once been an adolescent girl, herself. "It was still a very weird conversation to have with my daughter."

"Oh, I'm sure. I'm not exactly looking forward to the twins getting to that stage. And, you have an advantage over me, there."

"What? That I only have the one daughter to deal with, and you have two that are going to be going through this at the exact same time?"

"No, that you have a daughter, not a son. Hope directs most of her sex questions to _Hayley._ Who do you think the twins are going to go to?"

Klaus laughed. "Poor Caroline."

"Yes. Poor me. I mean, I get some of it from my students. The joys of running a boarding school. But, it is going to be very different when it's my own daughters. I'm dreading it."

"Yeah… But at least you'll be able to be there for it."

"Klaus…"

"Tonight… Listening to her speculating on… not just whether Hayley and Elijah might be… too busy for Hayley to call any of us to tell us how it went. But then having her throw a very grown-up theory for why he didn't kiss her at me… She's growing up so damned fast. And I've missed all of it. I got two years with her, Caroline. Two years that she doesn't even remember. She was still in diapers when I let Marcel wall me in in the garden to buy Hayley time to save the others. And then, when we were finally able to be together, it was only for a few months. The phone calls aren't enough."

"I know."

"I'm extremely jealous of Hayley, right now. For Hope. For Elijah. I haven't even heard my brother's voice in four years. And as much faith as I have in Freya… there's a part of me that wonders if I ever will, again."

"Of course there is. Even if it's illogical. Even though you know that neither Freya or Hope are going to rest until they can get their family back. Until it happens, there will always be that voice in your head saying that it never will. But, you can't let fear control you."

"Be brave…" He took a deep breath. "You're right. I can't let fear control me. And there isn't a damned thing I can do about this. Getting the family back together is going to be up to Freya and Hope. But… there is something I _can_ do something about. I once promised to show you around New Orleans. That is obviously not an option. When you're free to travel, I'm not allowed in New Orleans. But… I could show you around Los Angeles?"

The smile she gave him was almost enough to lift the dark mood he found himself in. "Talk to me closer to the end of the school year. I just might take you up on that."

"I definitely will. Do me a favor and tell Hope that I love her and good night for me? She was too busy throwing your phone at you before I could yell at her for us to have a proper goodbye."

Caroline laughed, again. "I'll do that. And I'm sure that she would say the same. Good night, Klaus."

"Good night, Caroline."

He turned his phone off again with a sigh. This day had been a bit of a roller coaster. And poor Hope would be devastated if she knew that she had inadvertently upset him. It was probably just as well that she had started on him about Caroline and ended the conversation. The last thing he would want was for her to be upset. She seemed to be adjusting to the way things had to be fairly well. Maybe that was _because_ of how little time they had actually had together. She never got used to having him around, and this insanity was just normal for her. Which, only depressed him more.

He was learning something. Something Elijah and Rebekah had tried so hard to tell him, so many times. But, it never really sank in until now. He had never really been alone. He had certainly never been unloved. Ironic that it took losing them to make him realize that they really had always been there.

He closed his eyes, and said the prayer he had said every night since he and his siblings had scattered. "Please. Please let Freya find a way to fix this. Please, give me my family back."


	7. Two Lovesick Fools

Elijah was whistling when he came in. In the four years they'd been roommates and coworkers, Josh had never heard the man whistle, before. In fact, he would bet a substantial amount of money that neither had Klaus or Rebekah. "I take it you had a good time, tonight?"

"It was quite pleasant, yes. Thank you, by the way."

"For what?" Yes, playing dumb was probably the best way to get information. And there were a whole lot of people who were rather breathlessly waiting to hear Elijah's side of what happened tonight. Not the least of which was "Andrea" herself.

"For giving Andrea your ticket to the art show. I know that you only did it because you didn't want to go, anyway. But, I rather enjoyed spending the evening with her."

"So, you were with her this whole time, then?" Oh man. Josh couldn't wait to read the interrogation she was going to be getting from everyone. But first, he had to get the other side of the story. That was, after all, part of his job. Keeping the others in the loop about what was going on with Elijah. He knew that the stories he told weren't really enough for them. Especially Klaus, Rebekah, and Hayley. But, it was the best they could do.

"Yes." The soft smile he gave at that was possibly the cutest thing Josh had ever seen. Elijah "Montgomery" Mikaelson was completely smitten. Already. After just a few hours. Had it been like that the first time, too? Would anyone even know?

"All right, spill. I have seriously never seen you like this. This girl seems like she's something pretty special."

"It's far too soon to call her something special. Though… if she didn't have places to be… if she wasn't on the rebound… If I'm being completely honest, the only thing that kept me from kissing her was knowing she couldn't stay, and that even if she did, I would be nothing but a rebound. And…" He trailed off, seeming at a loss for words to explain what was going through his head at that moment.

"And you don't want to be a rebound. You wanted there to be something real there."

"Yes! Which is completely illogical. I just met the woman a few hours ago. And I was behaving like an utter lovesick fool."

Josh laughed. "Sounds like love at first sight." Or, more likely, like his soul recognizing its other half. If ever anyone wanted proof that those two belonged together, it was right here. "All right. So, other than wanting to kiss her but not, what happened between you guys?"

"We talked. We might have flirted." Another one of those soft smiles. "She called me cute and charming. We danced. I almost kissed her. And then I said some stupid thing about seeing her in the next life."

Josh blinked. He could just imagine the others' reactions to that line. "What did that even mean?"

"I honestly have no idea. I was thinking about how I wished I had met her in another time and place, sometime before some other man had broken her heart. In some other life. And… 'I guess I'll see you in the next life' just came out. I had no idea what I meant by it. And I still don't. Then she told me that if we're destined to meet in another life, that she'll be waiting for another dance. And then she kissed my cheek and walked out of my life." He sighed. "I can't help thinking I may have made a mess of that. And now I'll probably never see her again. And, even if I do… Well, the fact that I'm not human would probably end up being an issue."

"Maybe not. Because, neither is she."

"And how do you know that?"

"Because you may be a lovesick fool, right now, but it's my job to look out for you, remember? You think I didn't talk to her before telling her where you were? She's a vampire. She's actually in her thirties. She's from New Orleans. She certainly has some secrets, and some of them may turn out to be pretty big, but I did feel confident that she's harmless." He smirked. "Of course, I was looking for potential physical harm. If you manage to get your heart broken, that's all on you."

"And how can you be so confident that she means me no harm?"

And time to make up a story on the spot. Great. At least he had gotten much better at lying than he had been back when he was trying to fool Klaus… "My mother was a shrink. She taught me to read body language and shit. Only time I got a 'hiding something' vibe was when that ex of hers was mentioned. Which, does lend weight to your rebound concerns, I guess. I think he may have really done a number on her." Because, yes, Elijah really had done a number on the poor girl. If he lived forever, which he had a pretty damned good chance of doing, Josh would never forget the pain in Hayley's eyes when she told him about Elijah's decision to forget all of them - including her. "But, I don't think she's got anything to do with the people you're running from." Which was a blatant lie. But, it wasn't like she would ever do anything to hurt him.

Elijah shrugged. "Like I said, though. Not much chance of me ever seeing her, again. By the time she gets home, she'll probably have forgotten all about me. I was just some random guy she spent a few hours talking to because I was better company than Otto at Hotel Saint Louis." He looked so sad, that it was all Josh could do to not try to reassure him.

"Seriously, man. Are you okay? I've never seen you like this, before."

"I don't know how to explain it. I just felt… drawn to her. Like I had known her my whole life. Which, you of all people can see the irony in that. I… I don't know how to explain it."

No, but Josh did. Elijah's mind didn't recognize Hayley, but his heart did. Damn! This story just might be enough to turn even _Kol_ into a hopeless romantic. And Rebekah and Caroline were going to positively swoon. It was all Josh could do not to laugh at the thought of what Hope's reaction was going to be, too.

"So, what are you going to do, now?"

Elijah sighed. "What can I do? I don't even know her last name. And even if New Orleans wasn't a huge city with probably thousands of Andreas running around… hopping on a plane sounds like a pretty stalkerish thing to do. So, the ball is in her court, as they say. If she still remembers me when she gets home and wants to find me… she knows where I am." The next line was said so quietly that if Josh wasn't a vampire, he never would have heard it. "I just hope she does."

 _Oh Elijah. You poor, lovesick fool. If you only knew._ "Well, you never know. I honestly don't think that a connection felt that deeply can really be one-sided. And she _did_ go to that art show just to see you, again." He realized his mistake a second too late.

"What do you mean?"

"Come on, Elijah. You really think she took my ticket when I offered it because she was just that interested in the art? Nobody goes to those things because they actually want to. Not even you. People go to art shows because they know the artist. Or somebody involved in the show. Or, because there's somebody else that they know will be there that they really want to see."

Elijah smiled at that. "Well… she knows where to find me. I guess I should stop obsessing about her. At least for now. Because there isn't a damn thing I can do about it, anyway. I should probably get to bed. It's been… an interesting night."

As soon as Elijah was out of the room, Josh picked up his phone. He couldn't help but laugh at the conversation the others had been having while he was interrogating Elijah. But, he didn't join in. Hayley deserved to be the first to hear this. But he was damned if he would tell her about it while she was still in France. She would end up back in his bar tomorrow. Better to wait until she was safely home.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

It had been almost a week since Hayley had seen Elijah. And Josh wasn't talking to anyone, not even Davina. It wasn't until Klaus threatened to hop on a plane himself to make sure that Elijah was okay, that Josh finally sent out a group text saying that everything was fine, and he had his reasons for ignoring everyone. Said reason turned out to be not trusting Hayley to not hop on a plane. Which she realized as soon as he sent her a private text message.

JR: Sorry about that, Hayley. I know all of you, and especially you, have been dying to hear Elijah's side of what happened between you two. But, I needed to give you time to settle down a bit. And, in all honesty, give him time to settle down a bit, too. Forgive me?

HM: Of course. But, why did he need time to settle down? What's going on?

JR: "Andrea" made quite the impression on him. To the point that he's STILL talking about her, and… that he hopes she hasn't forgotten him…

Hayley could only stare at her phone, trying to catch her breath. Her hands were shaking as she typed out her reply.

HM: Tell me everything. Please?

JR: I'll start by answering everyone's question. The reason he didn't kiss you was just because he was afraid of being a rebound. You were right about him wanting to, though. Actually, the way he put it was that he almost did. Literally the ONLY thing that kept him from kissing you was knowing that you couldn't stay and that if you did, he would be nothing but a rebound.

HM: He actually said that?

JR: He did. He also looked really sad when he said that to you he was probably just some random guy you spent a few hours talking to because he was better company than Otto, and that by the time you got home you would probably have forgotten all about him. And was talking about how drawn to you he was, like he's known you his whole life.

HM: I shouldn't have gone. I've made things worse. For both of us. He doesn't even remember me, but now I've gone and given him "Andrea" to pine over. That was never my intention. I never would have imagined that it would even be possible. I was just supposed to be some random girl he was enough of a gentleman to rescue from Otto.

JR: So, now that you're more than that, what are you going to do?

HM: I don't know. I need time to think.

JR: Okay. And, one more thing. He knows that you're a vampire. Considering my purpose in being here, it made sense that I would interrogate the fuck out of you to make sure you weren't after something or intending him harm before telling you how to find him. So… I found out about you being a vampire, but the only time you seemed to be hiding anything was when talking about your ex.

HM: All right, thanks. Would you have told me the truth about you two, or should I wait until he tells me? I mean… If I figure out a way to keep in touch with him?

Because she definitely had decided to at least try to find a way to keep in touch. She could even try to pretend that it was simply because she didn't want to break his heart, and pretend that the burning need for any kind of contact wasn't a consideration at all.

JR: Wait until he tells you. You don't even know that I figured out about you.

HM: All right. Thanks. I mean that. Thank you, Josh.

She put her phone down and sighed. And then squealed like a teenage girl. Somewhere inside him, there was a part of Elijah that still loved her. She had to talk to somebody. But, not Freya. Elijah was her brother, and she could hardly be objective about this. Okay, nobody that Hayley knew could really be objective. But, there was one person who at least wasn't a Mikaelson. She got into her car and drove like a crazy person to Mystic Falls.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

Caroline's eyes just kept getting wider and wider as she read the conversation on Hayley's phone. "Holy shit! That's it! If ever there were two people who were just destined for each other, it's you two. You need to figure something out, girl!"

"Yeah. Too bad there's the not so little problem of him and my daughter being in the same city causing death and destruction - starting with them."

Caroline rolled her eyes at her. "Hello! Salvatore _Boarding_ School! Leave Hope with me and Ric, and you go get your man! This is not hard!"

"And then what? I can't just abandon her, Caroline. I was abandoned. I want more for her than that. Most of her family can't even be in the same city as her, but at least she knows that they love her. If I leave her here and move to France to be with Elijah? What will that tell her?"

"That some things are worth fighting for? In all honesty, she would probably actually tell you the same thing that I am."

"She's twelve, Caroline. I am not letting a hormonal, hopeless romantic of a twelve year old make major decisions for me." She started pacing around the room. "But, at the same time… Elijah thinks he's nothing special. That I've forgotten about him. And I can't let him think that, either. I can't abandon him, either."

"Hayley…"

"The thing is… it isn't just my parents that have abandoned me, Caroline. Elijah did, too. I know what it's like to love someone who… has forgotten that you even exist. I can't do that to him, either. So… what do I do?"

Caroline smiled. "Okay, this deserves more than just me on it. Hold on." And then she opened her laptop. Within minutes, Klaus, Rebekah, Marcel, Kol, and Freya were all staring back at them in shock as she read Hayley's conversation with Josh to them. "So, now Hayley wants to know what she should do. Because she can't abandon Hope, but also doesn't want to abandon Elijah. Shall I tell them what you said to me about that, Hayley?"

"Please don't. This is far too mortifying."

"I can actually take a guess. You feel like Elijah abandoned you, right? Not just your parents. And you don't want to do that to him."

"I think that you spent far too much time with Cami, Klaus. She started to rub off on you."

"Which is not a denial of my assessment."

"Okay, you're right. That's pretty much what I told Caroline. That Elijah abandoned me. And so I know what it's like to love someone who doesn't even remember that you exist. And I don't want to do that to him. I don't want him thinking that he's nothing special, and that I've forgotten him. But, at the same time, hopping on a plane to France is hardly an option. And I don't know what to do."

"Hayley… the answer is literally staring you in the face."

"Can you be a bit less cryptic, Beks?"

"You can't move to France. But, there's no reason you can't have a long-distance relationship. There are letters, and phone calls, and Skype, and Facetime, and… There is no real reason why you can't keep in touch with Elijah the exact same way you keep in touch with the rest of us."

"She's right. Send him a letter to Josh's bar. Josh will make sure he gets it. You become pen pals. And then just go from there."

Caroline was bouncing around like the teenage girl she would always look like. "And then you just let things happen naturally. And just imagine the stories you can tell Hope's children someday about how Grandma and Uncle Elijah fell in love _twice._ Do it, Hayley!"

Hayley laughed. "All right! I'll write to him! Thanks, guys. I love you!"

A chorus of "Love you, too" came from Caroline's computer before she shut it down. "Do you want me to tell Hope that you're here?"

"No. Don't pull her out of class. I'll see her later." She hugged her friend. "Thanks for your help. I guess I have a letter to write."


	8. Coincidences? Maybe not

_**This one is kind of long. And a lot of it is my first attempt at a flashback. But, we get to see some of Josh and Elijah's first few weeks in Manosque. Though, first up, some of Elijah acting like a giddy schoolboy over getting a letter.**_

 _ **Anyway, as always, thank you for the likes, follows, and comments. They really do mean a lot to me.**_

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

Elijah's eyes widened when the woman walked into the bar. She was the last person he was expecting to see. He was half afraid that she would walk right over to the piano. But, no. He followed her with his eyes as she walked over to Josh. "You seem to be doing well for yourself, Joshua."

"It's not like the place was a dive when I bought it. What do you want, Antoinette?"

"What? A girl can't want to see her ex-boyfriend and see how he's doing? Just because things didn't work out between me and Elijah doesn't mean I don't still care about him."

That did it. He stopped playing mid-song and walked over to them. "Funny, I don't recall ever being your boyfriend to begin with."

"Wow. Way to make a girl feel special, Elijah."

"What do you expect? We went on two dates. Had one kiss. I realized it wasn't going to go anywhere, and ended things. I was even a gentleman about it. I could have ghosted you. I didn't. It's hardly my fault that you took 'this isn't going to work out' to mean 'try harder'."

Before she could say anything, Josh held up an envelope. "Hey Elijah, this came for you. Take a look at the return address."

Leave it to Josh to try to diffuse the situation. But then, Elijah noticed why he was told to look at the return address. He could only stare at it, hardly believing that it said what it looked like it said. Much less that it could mean what he thought it meant. "You don't think…?"

"Honestly, Elijah. Yes, there are probably hundreds of Andreas running around New Orleans, but how many of them would be writing to you? Pretty sure this is from her."

Elijah's hands were shaking. Finally, he handed the envelope to Josh. "You open it. I'm afraid of ripping the envelope and mangling the return address." Because he definitely wanted an opportunity to write back.

Josh just laughed and took the envelope from him, opened it, and handed it back.

The letter was fairly short, but it was written in handwriting as beautiful as the woman who had written it. And on unlined stationary, which was pretty impressive in itself, these days. As he read, everything around him faded away. He could actually hear her voice reading her words to him in his head. And he couldn't help but smile.

"Elijah,

I wanted to thank you for giving me a beautiful day just when I needed it. You've helped me more than you can ever know. I realized that I'd been holding on to things that I shouldn't. If I'd met my ex under different circumstances, without the legacy of pain that haunted him, I think that things would have been different between us. My time with you helped me to forgive him for the pain that he caused me and remember the best parts of our lives together. And, though I can't honestly say that I'll ever get over him entirely, I… I can finally look forward. Because of you. I'll never forget my time in France. Those few hours with you were the most memorable part of my entire trip. And if by some chance we do meet again in another life, I'm gonna hold you to that dance. Until then, be happy. And, as you grow and find the parts of your life that fit you perfectly, make sure you never let them go.

Andrea."

He read over it again, and then brought it to his face and inhaled, hoping to catch a hint of her scent. He was disappointed when there was nothing of her that even his senses could pick up. When a third reading of the letter showed neither anything so personal that it shouldn't be shared, or any more of a clue as to why she was writing to him, he handed it to Josh. "What do you make of this?"

Josh read it over, and shrugged. "Honestly? I think you should write back. I mean, talking about holding you to that dance sure sounds like she would like to see you, again. And… that last line could have been a subtle way of saying that she would be interested in hearing from you, again."

"How do you figure that?" He so wanted to believe that. That she had felt the same connection that he had. But, it seemed to much to hope for.

"Just call it intuition. Like, she doesn't want to come out and say that she hopes that she might be one of those things you never let go of, but… she took the time to write to you. Not only will she never forget you, but she wanted to make sure that you knew that."

Elijah smiled. But then he thought of something else. "She mentioned her ex…"

"Yes, she did. But, look at the context. The woman flat-out told you that she's ready to move on. And then said that that was because of you. Write back. Let her know that you still think of her, too. That's the only way to see if there might be something there. Take a chance." He handed the letter back. "Take the rest of the night off. We have a jukebox. The patrons can use that if they want music."

Elijah smiled, all but grabbed the letter out of Josh's hand, and ran up the stairs to their apartment. Andrea had written to him. She seemed interested in continuing to have some contact with him. Even if she was only interested in friendship, at least he would maybe get to talk to her once in a while.

It was when he sat down to write back to her that he noticed the back of the letter. Her address. She had given him her address. Josh was right. She wanted to talk to him, again. At the very least, she wanted to be his friend. Andrea Labonair. Such a pretty name. He pulled out his stationary and a pen and started to write.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

"I suppose that little show was for my benefit?"

"Yes and no. Did I give him the letter now to show you that there's someone he _is_ interested in dating - and that someone isn't you? Yeah. I admit that. Was any part of his reaction an act? No. He hasn't stopped talking about this woman since they met."

"Why do you dislike me so much, Joshua?"

Josh shrugged. "We can start with you insisting on calling me Joshua. I believe I told you when we first met, before I found out what a manipulative bitch you were, to call me Josh, because everyone does. Oh, yeah. And the fact that you're a manipulative bitch."

"What did I ever do to you?"

"All right, I admit that maybe manipulative bitch is a little strong. But, you can hardly deny being more than a bit of a stalker."

She actually had the nerve to look affronted at that. "I never stalked anyone!"

"Right… Elijah said it himself. You took him telling you that it wasn't going to work out to mean 'try harder'. How long was it between your second and last date and the day you stopped coming in here almost every day trying to get him to 'take you back'. And never mind that two dates does not a relationship make and you were never together to begin with. I'll ask you again. What do you want, Antoinette?"

"I just wanted to see him. I still love him, and…"

Josh broke in with a laugh. "You went on two dates! If you ever loved him at all, that's just a sign that you fall in love way too easily. So, don't fucking start. He has a good life here, Antoinette. And there's a woman that he is very interested in, that I already know for a fact would be much better for him than you would. So, take the fucking hint you apparently didn't take four years ago, and get lost. And this time, stay lost."

He was getting tired. And honestly, the way this woman just couldn't seem to take a hint, even after four years, was making him start to think his initial assessment of both the town and the oh-so-convenient ad for a bar for sale were spot on.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

 _Four years earlier_

Manosque was what old people liked to call "quaint". Josh just called it "small". It seemed like a really strange place to go to start over. Paris would have made more sense. Easier to get lost in the crowd in Paris. Then again, what was true for them, was also true for anyone that might come looking for them. He had no delusions that the fact that Elijah Mikaelson was wandering around with amnesia wasn't going to somehow get out. Not that Elijah was exactly vulnerable. At least not physically. But, his sanity was another story, altogether. How many times could he hear his real name before Marcel's compulsion started to crack? How many people from his past, people who would naturally expect him to know them, could he "meet" before he decided to do some research into his past? Supposedly, any curiosity had been compelled out of him. But, Josh wasn't about to bet the man's sanity on that.

He was becoming paranoid. There was no other word for it. To the point that when Elijah found the ad for a bar for sale - complete with an apartment upstairs - Josh's first thought was that it was far too convenient. What were the odds of a bar being sold right when they were looking for both a place to live and a way to make money so that Josh didn't have to continue relying on Hayley and Marcel? A bar, of all things. The one kind of business Josh already knew how to run, and run well.

But, Elijah was so excited about the damned ad. So happy to have found something that he thought would work for them. It was almost depressing to see Elijah fucking Mikaelson acting all giddy about the fact that he was sure he had helped Josh.

"Fine. We'll go look at this place. But, don't be too disappointed if it turns out to not be the right place for us, okay? We can't really expect to find something perfect this quickly."

"I know. I'm trying not to get my hopes up. But, you moved to another fucking continent to be able to look after me. You can hardly blame me for wanting this to go as smoothly as possible for you. Speaking of which, I should definitely go with you. My French is better than yours."

Which was true. It shouldn't really surprise Josh that a man who was a thousand years old spoke several languages. Though, it had surprised Elijah when they arrived and he realized that he could read the signs, much less actually follow the rather rapid-fire questions asked at Customs. Though, he had also done more than his fair share of just compelling their way through.

Josh sighed and handed the phone to Elijah. "Go ahead and make the call. If I try to do it, I'm sure I'll screw it up."

Which is how they found themselves standing in a bar that looked more like the inspiration for Rick's place in Casablanca than any bar Josh had ever actually been in. And he could tell that Elijah kept eying the grand piano in the center of the room. Of course. Why not? Klaus painted, Elijah apparently played the piano. He wondered what Rebekah's hidden artistic talent was.

Once the deal was mostly made, Elijah wandered over and started playing, apparently trusting Josh to be able to finish negotiations on his own. Especially since the woman spoke English, and was willing to discuss business in Josh's own language.

Josh smiled when he actually recognized the song Elijah was playing. Yes, he really did play. Did Hayley know that? Hell, did Klaus or Rebekah even know that? "How much more to include the piano?"

Antoinette hadn't taken her eyes off of Elijah through most of the proceedings. Which might have been cute if Josh wasn't completely team Hayley when it came to Elijah's romantic future. "Honestly, the cost of moving it would far outweigh any benefits to me keeping it. Consider it part of the business. I'll make sure it's included in the actual bill of sale. That is, if we have a deal?"

Josh still had his misgivings about this. But, watching Elijah play… seeing him almost happy… He couldn't say no. Yes, his job was to keep Elijah safe, and keep him sane. But, the man had been to Hell and back more times than even Klaus could count. If this was where he wanted to be, then Josh was determined to give him this one little slice of normalcy. "We have a deal. Just make sure that piano is included."

The sale went through remarkably quickly. Then again, when you had property changing hands between vampires, things did tend to go quickly. All three parties involved could, and did, compel anyone they needed to to speed the process up.

Though Elijah had frowned a little at seeing his own name on the paperwork. "This is your place, Josh. I'll work for you. You don't need to make me your actual partner."

Josh just shook his head. He could hardly explain that the money came from Elijah's family, and so really the place was more his than Josh's. "I never imagined actually owning something like this, man. My plan was to get a job as a bartender, somewhere. I never dreamed of _buying_ a bar. This is really more your doing than mine. So, I put up the actual money, it's your vision."

He didn't know if Elijah was actually satisfied with that answer, or if he just decided it would be easier to drop it. In some ways, he was almost childlike. Which was another thing that was taking a whole Hell of a lot of getting used to. Elijah Mikaelson had been so self-assured. He had his ruthless moments. His was a name that was feared by almost every vampire in the world. Only his little brother evoked more sheer terror. Elijah Montgomery was an over-grown five-year-old, sometimes. He looked at the world with a sense of wonder that Josh hadn't seen in anyone's eyes since Hope had grown out of it. It should have been terrifying in it's own right. But, it was oddly endearing.

What wasn't endearing was the way Antoinette kept coming around after the sale went through. For somebody who was selling her business because she was leaving town, she seemed in no hurry to leave. But, he had to admit that Elijah wasn't exactly being discouraging. So, it was hard to blame her.

And hard to hide his surprise and disappointment when Elijah asked for a night off so that he could take Antoinette to dinner. "Yeah, of course. Just because I work seven days a week out of nothing better to do with my time, doesn't mean that you have to, too. We have a jukebox. Patrons can make do with that for one night."

But, part of his heart broke for Hayley, back in New Orleans, waiting for the day that Freya could put her world back together and give her her soulmate back. No, she probably wasn't expecting him to not date, or even to stay celibate. After all, it wasn't like he remembered her, remembered that there was someone out there that he had once loved with all of his heart. Someone that the very thought of being separated from her was so impossible to comprehend that it was easier for him to forget who he was and walk away from everything he was, than it was to live without her.

Josh shook his head. And then he picked up his phone and texted Hayley.

JR: I need to talk to you, later. Elijah is going to be out tomorrow. I'll call you?

HM: Yeah, of course. Is everything okay? Are you sure this can wait until tomorrow?

JR: Yeah. Nothing major. No problems or anything. Just… something you should be the first to hear.

And then the dots that showed that she was typing popped up. Disappeared. Popped up again. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. It was several minutes before the next text actually showed up.

HM: Gotcha. Thank you for that. Is… Never mind. Call me tomorrow while he's… out.

JR: Hayley…

She didn't respond. Didn't even start to. He didn't blame her. If it was him, he wasn't sure he would really want to hear about it, either.

If she mentioned that Elijah had a date to the others, none of them tried to interrogate him about it. Not even hopeless romantic Rebekah who would probably have had some choice words about it. Like Josh could have any control over this. Elijah was a grown man. Who he dated was none of Josh's business unless he had reason to suspect an ulterior motive.

The man who walked out of Josh's Place the next night looked so much like the old Elijah that it was uncanny. Where the hell had he gotten that suit, anyway? Not that it really mattered. Just one of life's little mysteries.

And the minute door closed behind him, Josh was on the phone to Hayley.

She answered on the first ring. "How are you guys doing?" She tried so hard to sound normal, but he could hear the suppressed tears in her voice.

"We're doing fine. The bar I bought came with a decent batch of regulars. And Elijah's piano playing is already starting to bring in decent amount of extra business. Woman we bought it from says that we actually seem to be doing even better than she did."

"Does she have a name?"

"Antoinette Sienna."

"You answered that too quickly. You do know that I wasn't asking about the woman you bought the bar from. I was asking about Elijah's date."

"Yeah… Funny thing about that…"

"They're one and the same."

"Got it in one."

"Is she pretty?"

"Not as pretty as you. And before you try the 'you aren't exactly the best judge of that' line, just because I'm not interested in sleeping with women, doesn't mean I can't appreciate feminine beauty from a purely aesthetic standpoint. And you are much prettier than she is."

She actually laughed at that. "I guess I'll just have to take your word for that." There was a pause. "Does he… Is he happy?"

"Hayley. It's a first date. She's not his girlfriend, or anything."

"I'm sorry. I'm not being fair. I just… it was a shock. Which is stupid. He doesn't remember me. Why shouldn't he date, right?"

"I know. But, now I'm starting to wish I hadn't said anything to you about it. I think that maybe that wasn't fair to you."

"No! It's okay. I'm glad you told me. I mean… I admit to not exactly being happy about it. But, I do want him to be happy. And I'm not making any sense."

"You're doing fine. I totally understand."

"And, now I'm torn."

"Oh?"

"Part of me wants to have you text me when he gets home. And, another part is afraid of that text not coming until tomorrow, and…"

Josh had to laugh at that. "You think that forgetting you and his family turned him into some kind of man-whore? Elijah doesn't exactly strike me as a sex on the first date kind of guy. And if you have any personal experience to the contrary, well… that's you. The woman he loved for months before he even got around to kissing her. So, anything that happened once he finally admitted to his feelings doesn't count."

And that got her laughing, too. "I guess you have a point. Anyway… It sounds like you're calling from the bar, which means that I should let you get back to work. I'll talk to you, later."

"I'll text you when he gets in." Except, he was talking to himself. She had already ended the call.

Elijah came home two hours later. Seeming in a good mood, but not exactly on any kind of "I just had the best date of my life" emotional high.

Josh texted Hayley that he knew she was being silly, and then decided it was time to interrogate his friend. "So, did you have a good time?"

"It was enjoyable, yes. We went out to dinner. Talked. Just got to know each other."

"And that's it? Dinner and talking? Not even a kiss goodnight?"

"No. I don't know, it just didn't seem right. I guess I'm not the kind of man who kisses a woman on a first date. Which… seems really old-fashioned." He sighed. "Which makes me wonder just how old I am, anyway. Is that just me being eccentric, or is it a hold-over from my time as a mortal? I don't suppose you know the answer to that?"

Josh's personal theory - that somewhere in Elijah Montgomery's head, the ghost of Elijah Mikaelson was screaming at him that this woman is not who he really wants - was not something he could say. So, he just shrugged. "I know that you're several centuries old. So, I guess that being old-fashioned would make sense. Unfortunately, I don't know anything about your love life before. I'm sure you've dated, highly doubt you're a virgin after all this time, but I don't exactly know details. And, since you're a lot older than I am, I _really_ don't know anything about your life before you became a vampire."

Elijah sighed. "I guess I'll never know the answer to that, then. Though, it sounds like me being old-fashioned at least makes sense. If I'm that old. Anyway, let me get out of this suit, and then I think I'll get back to work."

A week later, he went on another date with her. But this time, when he came home he was in a not very good mood.

"You want to talk about it?"

"Not much to talk about. We went out dancing. I took her home. Kissed her goodnight. And… felt nothing. Decided it was better to end this than to lead her on. Except, she didn't take that very well. And is saying that I did lead her on? I mean, what exactly did she think was going on, here? It was two dates. I… if you don't mind, I'm still going to take the rest of the night off."

"Yeah, of course. You already had the night off. You're the weirdo that takes a day off of work, and then goes to work, anyway."

That should have been the end of it. Except, it took another six months for Antoinette to get the hint. She finally stopped coming in to the bar the night that Elijah threatened to call the police and have her arrested for stalking.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

 _Present Day_

Until now. Here she was again. Right when Hayley had walked back into Elijah's life, so did Antoinette. And Josh was through believing in coincidences.

He mixed her a drink, and handed it to her. "Here. On the house. Drink this, and then get the hell out of my bar. And this time, stay away from him."

And then he walked away, but he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Watched as she took a drink. Watched as she finished the drink. Watched as she, for once, did as she was told and walked out. And then he pulled out his cell phone and sent a group text to the Mikaelsons.

JM: Guys, we have a problem. Facetime. Now.

He told the other bartender that he was in charge for now, and went into his office. It didn't surprise him that Hayley was the first one to join the facetime chat.

"What's going on? Is he okay?"

"Wait. I only want to do this once."

A few minutes later, they were all there, even Davina. "You sure do have a flair for melodrama, sometimes, Josh. What's got you so upset that you even included me in this little group chat?"

"Stalker chick from when we first got here is back."

"Stalker chick? What did I miss?"

"Oh, that's right. We never told you about her. You didn't know what we had done yet when he first met her, and then we thought it best not to tell you that your amnesiac brother seemed to have a stalker. Were a little worried what you would do." Leave it to Hayley to come up with the worst possible way to explain things to Klaus.

"He has a what?!"

"Look, at the time, I figured she was just a normal stalker. And it's not like Elijah can't take care of himself in that respect."

"At the time? What happened?"

"I thought it was weird that she showed up again. Especially right when Hayley walked back into his life. So, I… spiked her drink."

"Good man."

"Which… is how I found out that we have a problem. Because she didn't notice. Guys… Antoinette Sienna is on vervain."

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

 _ **And the plot thickens. Just what is Antoinette's deal, anyway?**_

 _ **So, my hope going forward is to post at least one chapter of fanfiction a week. Which means updating each fic at least once a month. We'll see how well that works out.**_


	9. Battle Plans

_Picks up right where the last chapter ends. When Klaus tells the others how he, and Elijah, know Antoinette, they make plans to find out what her real story is._

 _As always, thank you for the kudos/favorites/follows, and for the reviews/comments. They mean a lot to me._

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

"I'm sorry. Did you just say Antoinette Sienna? I swear that's what I heard. But,I can't possibly be hearing correctly. Because if I heard correctly, then I have a question. A question none of you lot can possibly answer, but that most certainly needs an answer, anyway."

"Stop being such a dick, Klaus. What's your question?"

"How the bloody fuck did Antoinette bloody Sienna know to pretend she had never met Elijah before?"

Hayley's blood ran cold at that. "What do you mean, pretend? Are you saying that you know her?"

"Yes, I know her. I killed the man she called Father. He deserved it, I'll spare you the details, it was centuries ago. The woman she calls Mother begged me for mercy for herself and her children. Mercy that I granted. I'm starting to think that that was a mistake."

"But, that's how you know her. Are you sure that Elijah met her?"

Klaus rolled his eyes. "Yes, I'm sure. Back in the 1920's, at some little speakeasy. Elijah and I were having a drink together when she came in. In my stupidity, I continued to not blame her for her father's crimes, and introduced them. They bonded a bit over the piano."

"The piano? Not only did she know him, but she knew that he plays the piano?"

"Let me guess, you're about to tell me that that's significant, too, aren't you?"

"Hayley, explain it to him. I'm going to go grab her glass before it gets swept up into the dish bin. I'm guessing Freya is going to need it to find her."

"Go on, Hayley. Explain."

"Antoinette is the woman they bought the bar from. The piano came with the bar. Sounds like Josh is thinking the piano was the bait for the trap."

"Well, doesn't this just keep getting better?"

"There's still one more thing. Antoinette may not be the only problem."

Klaus definitely looked like his head was going to explode. "Caroline, you have ten seconds to explain that comment."

"You said that her mother asked for mercy for herself and her children, right? Plural? I had a new student start about a year ago. A vampire named Roman Sienna."

Hayley choked at that. And Klaus _roared_. "Roman is there? With Hope? While his big sister is acting like she never met Elijah Mikaelson in her life?"

"Klaus, I'm sorry. I didn't know who he was. And honestly, he seems like a nice kid. Which, is weird, calling someone who is centuries older than me a kid, but…"

"But, some of us, like you and I, grow up. We still become the adults we would have become if we had never been turned. Your body may be frozen at seventeen, but your mind is a thirty-two year old woman. A mother. A teacher. And some of us… their minds seem to get frozen, too. If he's one of the ones who never grew up, then to you he would be a kid, despite being physically around the same apparent age as you, and chronologically much older than you."

"My sister, the philosopher. Can we please get back to the matter at hand? What are we going to do about Antoinette?"

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it? Some of us are going to have to go out there and deal with her. Find out what she's really up to. Now, since she's a vampire, that means either Marcel or a Mikaelson to compel her to talk."

"And none of us can be in the same city as Elijah. Which leaves Marcel."

"Yeah. I have no problem going out there and having a little… chat with her."

"I'm going with."

Interestingly, it was Davina that shot that one down. "No. Absolutely not. Hayley, you just got back from there. If he sees you, he's going to want to know what's going on. You absolutely cannot go to Monasque, any more than one of the Mikaelsons can. And, honestly, Marcel can't go alone, either. You need a witch. You need someone that can scry for her. Now, with Roman being at Hope's school, Freya is needed there, in case there's a problem. So, Marcel and I will go to Monasque and deal with Antoinette."

Hayley could see the logic in that plan, but she didn't like it one bit. She was just about to tell them how much she didn't like it, when Klaus offered a compromise.

"I can't help feeling like there is no way we are going to like what she has to tell us. So, maybe we should prepare for the worst."

"What exactly does that mean?"

"It means that we assume Antoinette Sienna is hostile. We assume that we may have to execute her to protect Elijah. Now then, if she needs to be executed, anyway, why not make her useful? We know that my blood will heal a werewolf bite, even a hybrid bite. It's only Marcel who is the exception to that rule. But, what about Hayley's? Or Hope's? Hayley is a hybrid, too. Which makes her also a vampire who is immune to werewolf venom. Could that immunity be shared, the same as mine can be? And Hope is essentially another original hybrid."

"You want to experiment on her?"

"Only if she deserves it, love. If she proves to be mostly innocent of any wrong-doing, I simply compel her to forget Elijah and to never return to Monasque. But, if she turns out to be up to something nefarious, then we put her to use."

"You just said that you would compel her. You can't be there, remember? I'll take care of it, Klaus."

"Except, if we are going to use her to test Hayley's and Hope's blood, we're going to need that blood, aren't we? So, here is what I propose. Marcel and Davina, you meet up in New York, travel together to Monasque. Hayley goes to Mystic Falls and collects a few vials of Hope's blood. Hayley and I go to Paris. Davina finds Antoinette, subdues her, and the three of them meet Hayley and I in Paris."

"Actually, I think we need to add one more person to this. Me. Have Freya make a dose of the serum. I meet Marcel and Davina in New York, and the three of us travel together. That way, if the worst happens and Marcel ends up biting her, she doesn't die before she can tell us anything useful."

"Keelin, you're a doctor. You're dedicated to saving lives. Are you sure you want to be a part of this? I keep a dose of the cure on hand in case I accidentally bite Rebekah. There's no real reason to involve you."

"How would you accidentally bite someone? Wait. Never mind. I don't want to know."

Hayley couldn't help laughing at that. "Marcel has a point, Keelin. I don't know that I really like the idea of involving you."

"Well, there is also the little matter of me being a werewolf. For all we know the venom of a hybrid is different than the venom of a normal werewolf. If you're going to be experimenting on her, you should really do it right. A complete test."

"Only if you're sure."

"I'll be there for the questioning. If we decide to do this, I stay just long enough to do my part. One bite to test Hayley's blood, another for Hope's. And then I come home. I won't be there for all of it. But, this is my family, too."

"All right, then. I'll get three vials of Hope's blood. We can test regular werewolf venom, my hybrid venom, and possibly see if Klaus's venom is different due to being the Original hybrid. You gonna come with me to Mystic Falls, or just meet us in Paris?"

"I think that Keelin should just go straight to Paris. I'll come with you. Make sure Hope's boundary spells are up to Mikaelson standards."

Caroline raised an eyebrow at that. "Mikaelson standards? If you don't trust my staff to be able to properly teach Hope, why aren't you just homeschooling her?"

"That's not what I meant, at all, Caroline. I have every faith in your school. But, Hope is only twelve years old. I don't know if she has the _power_ to create the kind of spell she's going to need to keep herself safe until we can figure out what's going on and just how much danger she's actually in."

"Not to mention the fact that my girls are siphoners. Which adds a whole new level of fun to this particular situation. I don't think they'd ever intentionally do anything to hurt her, but…"

"But, you don't want to worry them by telling them that there may be someone at the school who is trying to hurt Hope, and if they innocently take down her boundary spell to give someone who is 'just trying to help' a chance to talk to her… Honestly, what I really should do, is just bring her back here. Not that I don't trust you, Caroline, but…"

"But, with everything going on right now… Honestly, I'd feel safer myself if she was there with you."

"So, that's settled, then? Freya and I go to Mystic Falls. I collect a few vials of Hope's blood, and Freya brings her home for a while. Meanwhile, Davina meets with Marcel in New York. Davina and Marcel go to Monasque, find Antoinette, and bring her to Paris. Where Klaus, Keelin, and I will meet them. And we get to the bottom of this."

"That seems to be the plan, Little Wolf. Kiss Hope for me, and tell her I love her."

"I guess I'll see you in a couple days, Josh. You have Antoinette's glass so I can use it to scry for her?"

"Yeah. I have it. I'll keep it in my office. There's a drawer in my file cabinet that not even Elijah has a key to. I'll put it there."

Hayley closed out of the Facetime app and put her phone down with a sigh. She had just spent a considerable amount of time planning the kidnapping and torture of a woman whose only crime may very well be simply being attracted to a guy and not knowing how to take no for an answer.

Not to downplay that. Even without everything else, she was still a stalker. If the situation had been reversed and Elijah had been the one to keep chasing her after being repeatedly told to leave her alone, there would be no questioning that he was dangerous.

But still. They were going to have to torture her to even find out exactly how dangerous she was. They didn't have time to wait until the vervain was out of her system naturally. They were going to have to drain her. They were doing it to protect their family, but did that really make it right?

She closed her eyes. She threw away a future with Elijah because some of the things she saw in his mind scared her. Because she couldn't handle the things he was willing to do to protect their family. And now she was doing the same thing. It wasn't fair. She hadn't been fair. "I'm sorry, Elijah. I'm so sorry. I just hope that someday you can forgive me." And then she put her face in her hands and cried.


	10. Getting In Position

"Okay, we need to change the plan, a bit. I'm going to Mystic Falls. I'm not needed in Manosque. In fact, all having me there will do is add another possible complication. On the other hand, what is Hayley going to do to get Hope's blood? Bite her? You two could use a medical professional."

"Yeah. I wasn't really thinking clearly. I'm so worried about Hope, and Elijah, right now. I'm being so stupid. We have all been so stupid. It's been four years, Keelin. My God! What if Antoinette had tried something? Or even if Elijah had felt something when he kissed her?"

"Is this you being worried about him, or you realizing he might have ended up falling for someone somewhere along the way?"

Hayley sighed. "Honestly? Right now it's me being worried about him. If she didn't have to give up and leave for a while… if she's really there as an agent of her mother's… She could have hurt him, Keelin. Maybe she couldn't have killed him, but… she could have hurt him. And we never would have known."

"Well, there's plenty of time to beat yourself up about that, later. Right now, let's go deal with your daughter. And then get ourselves to France." She sighed. "I'm going to Paris. Arguably the most romantic city in the world. And will I be with my girlfriend? No. I'll be with her family, possibly helping to torture a woman."

"Welcome to the Mikaelson family, Keelin. It's not easy. Nobody ever claimed it would be. But, when you fall for one of them… this becomes your life. At least you can get out, if you really want to."

"No. I love her. I'm in this for as long as she wants me to be. This is my family, too. Maybe not by blood, or in any kind of official way, but this is my family. I can no more walk away than you can." She shook her head. "But, enough of that! Let's go collect your daughter's blood. I'm actually kind of interested in finding out if it works the same way as Klaus's, myself. The scientist in me is actually kind of curious about something else, too."

When Keelin didn't elaborate, Hayley questioned her. "And what exactly is that?"

"Well, Hope hasn't triggered her curse, yet. But, she's also still very much alive and yet she can make hybrids. You're living proof of that. Makes me curious what else she can do that she shouldn't be able to, yet."

"You planning on making sense sometime today, Keelin?"

"You mean, you aren't the slightest bit curious about if she's venomous?"

Hayley froze at that. "That is an experiment for another time. I wouldn't begin to know how to test it without her being there. And there is no way I'm taking her to France, for this. Not with all of this going on. Even if Klaus wasn't going to be there."

"Yeah. But definitely something to wonder about, isn't it? Maybe someday we should test it. In a controlled environment, obviously."

Hayley just nodded. And then she went up to her room to pack.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

"Is anyone planning on telling me what's going on? Caroline just pulled me out of class, stuck me in here, and told me to put the best boundary spell I was capable of on the room and not take it down for anyone but you. I'm not stupid. What happened?"

Hayley sighed. She should know better than to try to keep anything from her daughter. The girl was really too smart for anyone's good. "There's a problem in France."

Hope paled. "Is Uncle Elijah okay? Is Josh okay? What happened? Mom, you can't tell me something like that and not finish. What kind of problem?"

Hayley took a deep breath. How to explain this? How did she tell her twelve-year-old daughter what was even going on, much less what they intended to do about it? She tried so hard to shelter Hope from the darker side of life. And yet… She was a Mikaelson. Was sheltering her really doing her any favors? "It turns out that the woman Josh and Uncle Elijah bought their bar from used to know Uncle Elijah a long time ago. Which has your dad wondering how she knew to pretend that she didn't. So, we're worried about them, right now. So, I'm going to go to France. Marcel and Aunt Davina are going to Manosque. They're going to find this woman and bring her to Paris. And then your dad and I are going to find out exactly what she's up to. But, in the meantime, Caroline and Aunt Freya both think it would be better if you went home for a while. Just until we find out what's going on."

"There's more, isn't there?"

Hayley nodded. There was no real point in trying to keep it from her. After all, they needed to collect her blood for the experiment. "Your dad… is being Klaus Mikaelson. If it turns out that she's there to try to hurt Uncle Elijah or Josh then… we're going to use her to see if your blood will cure a werewolf bite. After all, it can be used to make hybrids. So, you're basically a new Original Hybrid. And, it would be good for Caroline to know. With the way werewolves and vampires interact around here."

Hope looked at Keelin. "So, I guess that's what you're doing here? You're here as a doctor, to draw my blood?"

"Yeah. Made more sense than just having your mom bite you. So, if it's okay, I want to take about three vials from you. I promise to make it as painless as possible."

Hope rolled her eyes. "I'm a witch. I can help make it easier, too." And then she held her arm out. "Go ahead. Do what you've gotta do."

It was less than five minutes before Keelin had collected enough blood for the three tests they planned on running. And then Hope used her magic to heal the puncture wound. She smirked at them. "See? I've been doing that since I was a baby. Easy peasy. Now, are you going to tell me the real reason you're sending me back to New Orleans? Something else is wrong, isn't it?"

Hayley nodded. "The woman has a younger brother. And it turns out that he goes to your school. Now, he could be perfectly harmless. But, nobody wants to take that chance until we at least know what she is up to. So, we're going to send you home for a bit. And Caroline is going to keep an eye on him for us. Once we know more, we'll figure out what to do about all of this. But, for right now, it just seems safer to keep the two of you far away from each other."

Hope nodded and hugged Hayley. "I love you, Mom. Give Dad my love. I'll be fine. You take care of Uncle Elijah. I wish I could go with. But… if Dad is going, obviously I can't. So, I'll see you when you get back, right?"

"Yeah, Baby Girl. I'll see you when I get back. And your dad sends his love, too. I kind of forgot about that while I was busy explaining what was going on to you." She kissed her daughter on the forehead, and then hugged her sister-in-law. "You take care of her, okay? I don't care if you have to lock the compound down so tight that even I can't get in. You take care of her."

"I will. You worry about taking care of yourself. And my brothers. I promise you, Hayley. We'll get to the bottom of this. He's going to be okay."

Hayley just nodded and then looked at Keelin. "Let's go. I want to get to Paris long before Marcel and Davina do. I do not trust Klaus. I want a chance to talk him down before he's in the same room as Antoinette."

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

Luckily Elijah was upstairs when Davina walked into Josh's Place. "Davina!" He vaulted over the bar and ran over to his best friend, then picked her up and spun her around. "I've missed you, little sister." And then he surprised Marcel by pulling him into a hug.

"I've missed you too. But, we should probably get somewhere a bit less public so we can talk."

"Yeah. My office is this way. Elijah is upstairs. So, we won't be interrupted." He led them to the office, and closed the door before unlocking the bottom drawer of his file cabinet and pulling out Antoinette's glass. "So, how does this work, exactly? I mean, I would really rather not have her come back here. Like, ever. Even if it turns out that she's mostly harmless. She's still a fucking stalker, and Elijah doesn't need to deal with her."

"Yeah, don't worry about that. You think Klaus wants her poking around here? Even if she is mostly harmless? If it turns out that she's just a normal stalker, we'll compel her to forget she ever met Elijah, and to never set foot in Manosque again. No matter what happens, neither of you will ever see her again. If Klaus doesn't do it, then I will."

"Thanks, man. So, how is everyone? Is Hayley holding up okay?"

"Oh, I'm sure that Hayley is due for another freak out over this. But, something to be said for being a werewolf Alpha. Leadership is literally in her blood. She'll get through this. And have her breakdown when we're done."

"Yeah. It's the breakdown I'm worried about."

Marcel shook his head. "Nah. Klaus won't let her get to that point, again. And now that Freya, Keelin, and Vincent all know what to look for, neither will they. She'll be okay. If she starts to withdraw into herself, Klaus will drag her back to California if that's what it takes."

Meanwhile, Davina had pulled a map of the city out from somewhere and had tied one end of a string around Antoinette's glass and the other around a pin. She held the glass over the map so that the pin was just above the surface of the map. And then she started chanting. It was less than a minute before Josh saw the pin jerk. Davina looked up with a smile. "All right, Josh. You've lived here for four years. What's it pointing at?"

Josh looked at the map, and the pin, and felt the blood drain from his face. "Okay, it could be a coincidence. Because it's not like there are a lot of hotels in this city, but… That's the Hotel Saint Louis." At the blank looks on their faces, he elaborated. "It's the same hotel Hayley stayed at when she was here. I don't like this, guys. First she just happens to come back to town the same day that Elijah gets a letter from Hayley, then she's staying at the same hotel? I don't like coincidences. Not right now. Not with him so fucking vulnerable." He looked at Davina. "Speaking of being vulnerable, your husband is aware that if something is going on, he's as much of a target as Elijah is, right? I mean… killing Rebekah gives a 50/50 chance it would kill them, too. But Kol already died once. His Sire line is already gone."

Davina nodded. "He's aware. And he's taking precautions. Mainly in not leaving our apartment. Which, the lease is in my name. They want to get to Kol they literally have to kill me to do it. He's fine. But thank you." And then she folded up the map. "Okay. Josh, I wish I could spend more time with you, but the sooner we get this done, the sooner we can maybe all take a deep breath."

Josh snorted. "Yeah. Maybe." He hugged them both again. "You two take care of yourselves. And don't worry about Elijah. He may not know to be on the lookout, but I promise you that I am watching out for him. He'll be okay."

"I know, Josh. I never would have asked you to do this if I didn't trust you. And that becomes exponential when it comes to Hayley. We know that you're taking care of him. And hopefully this will just be a normal stalker situation and we can all get back to our lives." Though, the look on Marcel's face made it very clear that he didn't believe that for a minute. Something was going on. Something major. And Antoinette Sienna was just the tip of the iceberg.

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

Klaus sat in the living room of the house he kept in Paris drinking a glass of scotch and trying not to think too much about what the others were doing. And if Elijah was safe. That was the real question. Because if there was somebody out there that wanted the Mikaelsons dead, Elijah was extremely vulnerable. And maybe it was paranoia causing Klaus to assume that was what this was about. But, he couldn't help it. After all, the man Antoinette had called father was basically a vampire Nazi, back before the word Nazi meant anything. A purist of the worst sort. He wanted the world purged of witches, werewolves, and especially hybrids. Probably the only thing that kept him from trying to commit total genocide against humans was that he wasn't quite stupid enough to try to exterminate his food source.

He threw his glass at the wall. How could he have been so stupid? So stupid and so soft. Since when did Klaus Mikaelson grant mercy? How could he have not realized that Greta knew exactly what her husband had been up to and quite possibly shared his views? He should have exterminated the entire damned family that night. But no. For one of the few times in his very long life, he had shown compassion. And now, his brother very nearly paid the price for that.

The door opened and Hayley and Keelin walked in. Except, Keelin took one look at the broken glass on the floor and sighed. "I'm going to go take a walk. I've never been to Paris, before. It might be nice to actually get to see some of it. At least while we're waiting for the others. Call me when Marcel and Davina get here?" And then she was gone.

"Right. She just doesn't want to be subjected to Klaus Mikaelson when he's in a mood. I guess I don't really blame her."

"I actually don't think that's it. I think she's just giving us some time alone."

"And why would she be concerned about giving us time alone? I could see that being an issue if I was Elijah, but I am not."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "No, Klaus. She's not thinking she's leaving us alone to have sex. I mean, eww."

He laughed. "That's not what you said thirteen years ago."

"I was drunk. And you _are_ pretty cute. But, can you please try to be serious for a minute, here? Yeah. She saw the broken glass. It's obvious that you're upset about something. So, she's leaving us alone to talk."

"I don't need to talk. I'm perfectly fine. I mean, besides worrying about Elijah, and all."

Except Hayley could see right through him. Maybe it was a side effect of all those talks they had while he was trying to deal with her nervous breakdown. "Bullshit. Klaus, remember what we promised each other two years ago."

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"I may not be able to compel you, but… Marcel and Davina will both be here, soon. So, you can either talk to me, now, or I can have them deal with you, later. Your choice."

"I don't like you when you're like this."

"I didn't particularly like you when you were forcing food and blood down my throat, and carrying me out of Elijah's room when I wouldn't leave under my own power, and basically kidnapping me. But, you did it, anyway. Because it was what I needed at the time. So, talk to me."

He sighed and waved for her to sit down. Once she had closed the door and sat in the chair across from him, he sighed again. "Do you have any idea how jealous I am of you right now, Little Wolf?"

She smiled. "And why is that?" She probably knew, actually. She was smart enough to figure it out. But, she was trying to get him to talk. He had to admit that she was good. Almost as good as Cami.

"Cami would be proud, right now. Anyway… I'm jealous because of Hope, and Rebekah, and Kol, and… and Elijah. The four people I am closest to in this world are the four people that I'm not allowed to be in the same city as. But you can. You see our daughter all the time. You and Rebekah can visit each other while Hope is in school. I know that you've even started getting close with Kol. And… you've even been to see Elijah. Not even Freya has seen Elijah in four years. But you have. I haven't even talked to him on the phone or gotten a letter or email. In four years. But you have. I miss him, Hayley. I miss him so much. And I don't know that I am ever going to get him back. But you? You can hop on a plane any time you want. You can become Andrea for a weekend. And you can see him. Even now. His life is in danger, and this is the closest I can get to him. Because getting any closer would put him in even more danger. And I'm feeling useless. Which is the real reason that I had to be a part of this little mission of ours. Marcel could have handled this just as easily as I could. But, I couldn't sit in California, while Marcel was here, dealing with this. I may not be _needed_ but at least I'm not completely _useless_. At least I can do _something_ to keep my brother safe. Even if he doesn't really need me to."

He heard Hayley sigh, and the next thing he knew, she was on the couch next to him and her arms were around him. "Shh… He's going to be okay. We're here, now. And we're going to fix this. And he's going to be okay. And I'm going to tell you the same thing Josh told me. This isn't forever, Klaus. Do you really think that either Freya or Hope are going to rest until they get our family put back together? You think phone calls are enough for Hope? They aren't. She misses you. Every damn day. She's going to find a way to fix this, Klaus. I promise you. She's going to fix this. And we'll get him back. But, right now, we need to concentrate on making sure he lives long enough. So, we need to pull it together, for a little while longer."

He returned her hug, and nodded. But, talking to her, admitting his real problem seemed to be thing that made the dam he had put up burst. And suddenly he was crying in her arms. "I can't say anything to Freya, much less to Hope. Because I know that they're trying. But, it's been four years. And it just feels like forever, all ready. Which is stupid. I'm a thousand years old. Four years is just a drop in the bucket, really. And yet, it's felt like forever. I've gone longer without seeing him before. But… it's different, this time."

He felt Hayley nod. "This time it isn't by choice. That makes it different. The other times the two of you would separate for a while, you knew that it was temporary. He wasn't really _gone_ he was just somewhere else for a while. I understand. I really do."

He finally got himself back under control and pulled away from her. "Look at me. The great Klaus Mikaelson, crying like he hasn't since he was five years old. If my enemies could see me now…" He froze. "You know, somehow I didn't realize the rest of the problem with us all having to scatter like this, until now. Any enemies I have, seeing me like this, would know exactly how to get to me. My armor doesn't have chinks, Hayley. It has gaping holes. Quite a few of them. Elijah, Hope, Rebekah, Kol, Freya, Marcel, you. Marcel is even less vulnerable than I am. Rebekah and Kol are just as invulnerable as I am. But, you? Hope? Even Freya is still mortal beneath her magic. And Elijah doesn't even know who and what he is. He may not be as truly vulnerable as we fear, but… his sanity certainly is."

"I know. You think I haven't been thinking of that ever since I found out that you knew Antoinette? I mean, I always knew it. It was why we sent Josh with him, to begin with. To give him someone he could trust, someone _we_ could trust. Because the only way I was going to stay sane was if I knew that there was someone looking out for him. And you think I don't get sick to my stomach every time I think of Roman being near Hope this whole time and what could have happened to her? I know, Klaus."

"I just… I haven't been a very nice person, Hayley. And I have so many enemies. And not all of them were like Antoinette's father. Not all of them deserved it. But, even the ones that did deserve it had friends. For a thousand years, I could afford to be ruthless. Because the only people I cared about were just as immortal, just as invulnerable, as I am. But, that isn't true, anymore. I get so scared, sometimes, Hayley. My biggest fear has always been one of my old enemies finding Hope. And now it looks like they have. And I can't be near her. I can't protect her. All I can do is try to trust you and Caroline and Freya. And I do. But, you are all almost as vulnerable as she is. And it is so easy for me to lose damn near everything. And it scares me. In a thousand years, I have never been afraid of anything except my stepfather. And I've spent the past twelve years afraid of damn near everything. And I don't like it. As much as I love Hope, this whole parenthood thing kind of sucks. Made even worse by the fact that I can't even be in the same city as her. And so, the one person I would gladly die for is the one person I cannot protect." He sighed. "Oh, if my enemies could see how the mighty Klaus Mikaelson has fallen. Brought down by a little girl, no less."

"Oh, I don't know. She made you human. From where I'm standing, that's a good thing. I like this version of Klaus Mikaelson a whole lot more than I liked the old you. And yeah, I get that feeling vulnerable has to suck for you. I get that you aren't used to this. But… if you could see the way her face lights up when I tell her that you're on the phone for her. Yes, fatherhood made you vulnerable. But, it also turned you into the kind of man who that little girl loves with all of her heart. She wants to get Elijah back for me. But, she wants to put the family back together because she wants you back. I would say that's a good thing. Yes, she inherited your enemies. But, she's probably a lot stronger than any of us realize. That is certainly true from an emotional standpoint. She's a Mikaelson, Klaus. She's strong. And she's smart. And she is going to fix this for us. Just wait. Give her time. And don't worry about her so much. We're taking care of her. And she's getting better and better at taking care of herself."

Klaus wiped his eyes. "Thank you. But, that doesn't really help, much. I know it's supposed to. I know that you're trying. And I appreciate it. I just… I want them back, Hayley. I want them all back. I don't know how much longer I can do this. Hope is growing up without me. I'm missing everything. And, maybe four years isn't much when it comes to Elijah. But, Hope? She was a child the last time I saw her. She's becoming a young woman. And, I can't help wondering… Will I get to dance at her wedding? I mean, really dance. With her. Not just me being there being Caroline's wedding present to her, but me being really there? Will I ever get to hold our grandchildren? Or is that going to be one more thing for me to be jealous of you for? I don't know how much longer I can do this. And it's so stupid. We've already had all this out, two years ago. But, somehow… you going to see Elijah just drove it home just how much I was missing. I don't know, Little Wolf. I promise, I'll be okay. You don't need to worry about me. I'm just feeling a bit melancholy at the moment. I suppose it's to be expected under the circumstances. But, I'll be fine. Let's just concentrate on dealing with Antoinette. We can talk more about Hope and Elijah later if you think we need to. Okay?"

"You're sure you're okay?"

Klaus nodded. No, he wasn't completely better. But, he wouldn't be until he got his family back. But, he was good enough to be able to function, at least long enough to do what needed to be done. And not a moment too soon. Because, at that moment, the front door opened, and Marcel was shoving Antoinette Sienna into the room. Time for talk was over. At least for now. Now it was time for action. Maybe what was about to happen wasn't really fair, but he didn't care. At least his frustrations at the situation he was in had a worthy outlet, now. He smiled. "Miss Sienna, how kind of you to join us. I am so looking forward to hearing your explanation of exactly why you seem to be stalking my brother. I'm sure his girlfriend has some questions of her own, too."


	11. Interogations

Antoinette paled. "Klaus Mikaelson. I really don't know what you're talking about."

Hayley rolled her eyes and stood up. "Really? Okay, then I'll start. How did you know about his amnesia?" Because that was the part of Klaus's story that had terrified Hayley. Antoinette had apparently given no indication that she knew Elijah. No indication that she was surprised by his last name. No indication that she thought he should know her. She had known. "You know what? Don't bother. I don't trust you to tell me the truth. So, we're going to let Klaus do this his way." She looked over at Davina. "Can you soundproof the house, Davina? I'd really hate for this bitch's screams to scare the neighborhood children."

Davina nodded. The expression on her face almost as feral as what could be expected from Klaus. It seemed that the witch was becoming a true Mikaelson, in every sense of the word. At the moment, Hayley couldn't help but approve. "Yeah. Definitely don't want to scare the children. Not their fault, after all. Not to mention how awkward it could get if someone decides to call the police or something. I mean, don't you have to speak the language to compel someone? They can hardly be expected to obey a command they can't understand, right?" And then she held up her hands and started chanting. A few minutes later, she smiled. "There. Now we won't be disturbed. She's all yours, Klaus."

Klaus nodded. "Now then. We could have done this the easy way. At least long enough to find out what you're up to. But, unfortunately for you, the very reason that Josh realized there was a problem means that the easy way won't work on you." His smile turned feral. "Which means we have to do it my way. Before we can start the questioning portion of the festivities, we need to get the vervain out of your system. Now, you being a vampire, you can heal yourself. Which means the fairly painless way of slitting your wrist and letting you bleed out won't work. The fact that you're on vervain means that I can't just bite you and drain you that way. Which, unfortunately for you, means we have to do this the hard, painful way. I would say that I'm sorry, but I'm really not." He looked over at Hayley and Davina. "I'm going to take her to the basement. I want you girls to stay up here for this part."

"No. This is about Elijah. I want in."

Marcel shook his head. "He's right. Once we get to the questioning stage, I promise, you will be a part of it. But, you're going to have to be able to look Hope in the eye and tell her what happened here. For her sake, Hayley. Besides, I don't want Davina to have to watch this, so I'm asking you to keep her company up here. To say nothing of if Keelin comes back. Stay up here, for now. We'll call you down when we're ready for you.

Hayley looked over at Davina who was looking a little pale. "Fine. I'll stay up here while you drain her. But, if you ask her a single question without me, so help me I will find a way to kill you."

"I wouldn't dream of questioning her without you, love. After all, Elijah may be my brother, but he's your soulmate. You just may have even more right to know what this bitch is up to than I do. Let's go, then." And then he grabbed Antoinette's arm and yanked her into the other room, where presumably the stairs to the basement were located.

"You okay, over there?"

Davina swallowed hard. "I forgot what being a Mikaelson can be like, sometimes. I forgot this part. I mean, she deserves it. I keep trying to tell myself that she deserves it. And I can put on a pretty good act to do my part in intimidating her. But… I'm glad that they decided to leave us out of it. Even if you do feel differently."

Hayley sighed. "Honestly? I'm feeling pretty horrible, right now. But not so much because of what we're about to do to her, but because of Elijah."

Davina winced as a scream echoed up from the basement. After a second, she got herself back under control. "Alright, what do you mean by that?"

Hayley sighed. "Just that I was horrible to him after what happened in Freya's pendant. After I saw what was behind that red door in his head. Made a lot of accusations. And, look what I'm being a part of. I don't know how to reconcile the woman sitting here calmly listening while her brother-in-law tortures a woman, and getting ready to be a part of that torture, with the woman who screamed at the love of her life to not touch her, after breaking up with him because she 'only wanted good things' near her daughter. I'm worse than he ever was."

Davina shook her head. "Don't, Hayley. Elijah wouldn't want you to beat yourself up over it. You're doing what you have to do to protect your family. If this is more than just her stalking him. If she's working with her mother to finish her father's legacy? Then she's looking for a way to kill Klaus, and Hope."

The screams were getting louder, harder to ignore. And yet, the two women were doing their best to ignore them, anyway. "I keep trying to tell myself that. But, what makes us so much more important than everyone else in the world? What gives us the right to kill and torture people just to protect our own family?"

The look that Davina gave her was incredulous. "Everything. That's the point. If you aren't willing to kill to protect your family, then maybe you don't deserve to have a family to begin with. Why do you think I consider Marcel to be my father? Because he did more to protect me than any member of my biological family ever did. He saved me from my own people. When my own mother stood there and was going to watch them slit my throat, and turned away from me when I begged her for help, Marcel swooped in and massacred the lot of them. To save me. To try to save the others. That's what family does, Hayley. Especially in the world we live in. I wish I had a mother like you."

Hayley sighed and put her arms around Davina. "I know that you're right. That I'm just trying to be a good mother. But, it's hard to look at it that way, with _that_ going on right under my feet. I mean, yeah… if she's up to something worse than just trying to get into Elijah's pants whether he wants her there or not, then maybe we do have to do whatever it takes to keep Hope safe. But, it's just hard to think of that. I guess you're right about it being what we're supposed to do. I mean, even by mortal law, self-defense or defense of someone else is a valid murder defense. Even the humans say I have the right to kill someone who is trying to kill my family. It's just hard to reconcile that from a moral standpoint."

"Pretty sure there's a line in the Bible about an eye for an eye. So, I think we may even be on the moral high-ground, here."

"Except we have to torture her to even find out for sure what she's up to. What if this is just one hell of a coincidence? What if she's mostly harmless? If her biggest crime is stalking Elijah, then I am being a party to torture because of some chick trying to get into my boyfriend's pants. Pretty sure that that is frowned on from both a legal and moral perspective."

"She knew to pretend she didn't know him. Hayley, I don't see this turning out to be a normal stalker situation. This isn't about her wanting in Elijah's pants. She's up to something."

And then the screams stopped. The silence was almost deafening. Until it was broken by Klaus yelling up to the girls. "The vervain is out of her system. Hayley, get your ass down here and let's get started."

"You ready for this?"

"Yeah. This part I can handle. Let's go see exactly what that bitch wanted with my boyfriend."

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

Marcel had to hold Antoinette's head still for Klaus to be able to look her in the eye to compel her. Hayley had to admit that that was not a good sign. "You are going to answer every question any of us ask you with one hundred percent honesty. You are not going to leave anything out. You will not lie, you will not omit. You will tell us everything we want to know." He looked up at Hayley. "I'll let you start."

Hayley nodded and then took the seat in front of Antoinette. "How do you know Elijah Mikaelson?"

"Klaus introduced us back in the 1920's. We met at a little speakeasy."

"And how do you know Elijah Montgomery?"

"I sold him and his friend the bar they own."

"Why?"

"Because we wanted to know where he was. Being the one to sell them both a business and a home meant we would know exactly where he was."

We. Hayley started shaking. "And why did you want to know where he was?"

"Because he doesn't know who he is. He's the easiest one to get close to."

There was a commotion behind Hayley that she did her best to ignore. She knew what it was. Klaus getting ready to rip Antoinette's head from her body, and Marcel restraining him. But, they still needed more information. "And why did you want to get close to him?"

"Partly to keep an eye on him. Know what he's up to. If any of his siblings came to see him. Find out why he doesn't know who he is."

It wasn't until that line that Hayley really caught what had been said. They knew. Whoever they were, they knew about Elijah's amnesia. They knew what only the Mikaelsons' most trusted inner circle knew. Had one of them betrayed them all? She was going to be sick. But, she had to keep going. "And how did you know about the amnesia?"

"We have people everywhere. We were there, at the bus station in Atlanta. We heard his conversation with Josh."

Okay, that meant that the spy was likely not one of their own. Hayley took a deep breath. "How did you know he was going to go to Manosque?"

"As I said, we have people everywhere. And when we learned in Atlanta that Elijah Mikaelson was walking around with amnesia, we of course followed him. We knew what plane he was on. I was already in France. I was the logical one to send."

"Why did they send you?"

"I was already in France. But, also because I had known him, once. I knew things about him. Things that we could use to get close to him."

"What kind of things?"

"We had bonded over the piano. So I knew that he played. Our spies knew that his friend had managed a bar. So, we had the perfect trap with the perfect bait. We bought a bar, and a grand piano. And then sold them to Elijah and Josh so that we would know where they were."

"And was your attempt to seduce him also part of your plan?" Maybe that was a secondary consideration on top of everything else that the bitch had already admitted to, but Hayley couldn't help wanting to know.

"No, that was my own doing. Oh, it certainly would have been a good way to get close enough to keep an eye on him. But, I have always been attracted to him. You of all people should understand that. It would have been a nice bonus for me."

"Why did you want to get close to him?"

"To watch him. To know where he was."

They were going in circles, now. Hayley took a deep breath. "Enough! Tell me what I want to know." Okay, she needed a better way to phrase the question. "What were you planning on doing to him?"

"There has to be another way to kill an Original besides just white oak. After all, Elijah died once before. From something other than white oak. We don't know what she used, but whatever it was, perhaps there is more of it. Or something else that would work just as well."

"And when you found it, you were going to test it on Elijah?" It was phrased as a question, but it wasn't really one. She already knew the answer.

"Yes. As I said, he already died once. Killing him wouldn't kill any of us. Which made him the perfect test subject."

"You say he was meant to be a test subject. Who is your real target?"

"Klaus. Hope. You, though you're easier. Marcel, who may be the hardest of all."

There was the sound of someone throwing up behind Hayley. Her guess was Davina. Not that she blamed the girl. "And why do you want to kill us?" It was all Hayley could do to stay calm, to not rip the woman apart. Or better yet, to just bite her and let her die in agony. They wanted to kill Hope. They wanted to murder her little girl for the crime of being Klaus Mikaelson's daughter.

"Because you should not exist. None of you should exist. Vampires are meant to be at the top of the food chain. Hybrids should not exist. It was what my father believed, it is what my mother believes. And it's what I believe. It's a shame that Elijah will have to die as well, but he is the easiest to get to."

And then there were hands on Hayley's shoulders, and Klaus was gently moving her off of the chair she was on. "You have mentioned others. How many of you are there?"

"Too many to count. I don't know if even my mother knows all of them."

"Are hybrids your only targets?" How could he be so calm? The bitch had just admitted to wanting him and his daughter both dead. And here was Klaus Mikaelson calmly questioning her like she hadn't said anything all that problematic.

"No, just the smallest group. It is time to restore proper order. And the best way to do that is to eliminate every bit of competition. Starting with the hybrids. But, then all werewolves and witches, as well. Give vampires back their rightful place as the true rulers of this world."

"Is your brother one of you? Does he believe what you and your mother believe?"

"He does what Mother tells him to do." It wasn't an answer, not really. And Hayley wondered if anyone else realized that. Antoinette didn't know if Roman really believed or if he was just doing what he was told because he was too afraid to go against their mother.

"Why is he at the Salvatore School?"

"For the same reason that I'm in Manosque. He is there to keep an eye on Hope. Perhaps, once we have our solution, Mother will have him be the one to kill the girl. Perhaps we will even have him test her mortality before then. We are, after all, quite curious about just how vulnerable she is, and just what would happen to her if someone were to just rip her heart out."

"You fucking bitch! She's just a little girl!" And with that, Hayley lunged at Antoinette and bit her. "How does it feel, Antoinette? How does a werewolf bite feel? I hope you burn in Hell."

Klaus sighed and bit his wrist, then held it up to Antoinette's mouth. "Honestly, love. And here I thought that I was the impulsive hothead. We aren't through with her, yet."

"What else can you possibly want to know, Klaus? There are a whole lot of vampires out there that want all of us dead. And we have no way of finding out who they are. Or where they are."

"Not all of them, no. But, there are ways around that problem. Now then." He turned his attention back to Antoinette. "Where is your mother?"

"She's in Vienna."

"Good girl. We'll be back, later." And then he snapped Antoinette's neck and gestured for the others to head back upstairs.

"What the hell are we supposed to do, Klaus? How do we fight an enemy when we don't even know who that enemy is? How do we even know who to trust, anymore?" She put her hand to her mouth and all but fell onto the couch. "I don't know how to protect her. And how do we ask Josh to keep trying to protect Elijah with _this_ going on?"

"Speaking of Josh. I hate to say this, love. But… are we really sure that we can trust him?"

"Seriously, Klaus? He's the one that told us about Antoinette to begin with. If he were working with her, he wouldn't have said a thing. He would have just let her do whatever it was she was going to do."

"Unless Antoinette was meant as a sacrifice. I'm sorry. But I can't trust anyone. Right now, I'm not even sure about trusting each other." And suddenly, he grabbed Hayley's chin and forced her to look him in the eye. Before she knew what he was up to he was talking again. "You will tell me everything I want to know, and answer all of my questions with complete honesty. You will leave nothing out. You will not lie, you will not omit. You will do this until I tell you that you are free." He let go of her.

"Is this really necessary, Klaus?"

"Oh, don't think that I'm picking on her. You and Davina are going to do me, next. The hard part is going to be figuring out a way to test the two of you, and Freya, and Vincent. Now then. Hayley. What are your intentions towards my brother?"

"I love him. Someday, when this Hollow business is over and we get him back, if he doesn't hate me for the way I turned on him, I'm hoping that someday I'm going to marry him."

"Do you have any intentions of hurting him?"

"My biggest regret in my life is how much I've already hurt him. My intentions are to spend the rest of Eternity making that up to him."

"And your feelings towards our daughter?"

"I would kill to protect her. I would die to protect her. She and Elijah are the only things in my life that ever made sense. They are my life."

"Did you know anything about any of what Antoinette told us before today?"

"Only the parts you had told us, about how you knew her."

Klaus nodded, and then looked her in the eye again. "You're free, now." And then he looked at Marcel and Davina. "Okay, my turn. Davina, do you know what to do?" When she nodded, he turned his attention solely on Marcel. "And you know the questions to ask?"

"Yeah, but honestly, Klaus. We don't need to do this. It's you and your daughter they want dead, for Christ's sake."

"I will not subject my siblings to something I am not willing to undergo myself. So, let's get to it, shall we?"

Marcel sighed, but then he nodded. And then he and Davina got to work.

It was less than five minutes before they had asked Klaus most of the same questions he had asked Hayley. It surprised no one when he gave pretty much the same answers. Well, minus Hayley's line about wanting to marry Elijah, of course.

"Well, now that that's done. There are still two more people that need to be questioned before we can get started on our little science experiment. Hayley, you can call Keelin back, now. And Davina…" He actually paused. "Davina, I'm sorry. But, I have to test Josh, too." And Josh was on vervain…

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

"So, I guess we should get started, shouldn't we? Man, I am not looking forward to this. Hayley, do me a favor, will you? Take Davina out for a bit. She shouldn't have to see this. Or hear it, for that matter."

Klaus had to give the boy credit. He had come to Paris under his own power, knowing exactly what was waiting for him. But, he was willing to do whatever they needed to keep Elijah safe. It was almost enough to make Klaus change his mind and not do this at all. Almost. But, Elijah had put Klaus first for the better part of a thousand years. It was Klaus's turn to look after his older brother. No matter who he had to hurt in the process. "For what it's worth, I am sorry about this, Joshua. I really do wish there was another way."

"Yeah, well. There isn't. Not under the circumstances. I don't want to be away from Elijah long enough for the vervain to get out of my system naturally. Not with this going down. So, you just do what you've gotta do to keep him safe."

"Davina, wait. Can you put him to sleep, or something? Something to make what I'm going to have to do to him less painful? I didn't much care about hurting Antoinette, because best case scenario she was a stalker who refused to take no for an answer. The odds are very good that Josh's only crime was caring about our family and being willing to put his own life on hold to help us when we needed it."

"Why Klaus Mikaelson. Is that compassion I'm hearing coming from you? This is new."

He glared at Hayley. "Enough with the jokes, Little Wolf. Yes, even I am capable of compassion every once in a while. It just seems unnecessarily cruel to repay Josh's loyalty with torturing him. So, Davina, is there a way to make this easier for him?"

Davina nodded. "I can pull him into a chambre de chasse. I think that if I pull his consciousness out of him for a bit, he won't feel what's happening to his body. I think. It's not like anybody has ever tested that before. But, it's the best idea I can come up with, right now. Added benefit is that I can pull him out of it as soon as you're ready to start questioning him. So, we won't waste any time waiting for him to wake up from having his neck snapped or anything else we could try to do."

Klaus nodded. "Do that. And I'll do my part to make this as painless as possible."

A few seconds later, Josh slumped over, and Klaus got to work trying to drain him without causing any more pain than absolutely necessary.

It took a bit longer than it had with Antoinette. Klaus was being more careful, trying to minimize the pain he would cause. But, eventually, Josh was sufficiently drained to make compulsion possible, and then Davina brought him back so that the questioning could begin.

"Why did you agree to go to France with Elijah?"

"Because, as screwed up as this family is, it's still the closest thing to a real family I've had since I came out. I was touched that Hayley wanted me to be the one to look after him, that she was trusting me with keeping him safe."

"What are your intentions towards him?"

"To do what Hayley asked me to do four years ago. To look after him, keep him sane, keep him safe. To be the eyes and ears he doesn't know he needs. And to be a middleman, keeping the rest of you aware of what is going on with him so that you haven't lost him completely."

"Do you have any intentions of harming him?"

"No. Of course not. You guys are my family. And other than Davina, Elijah is my best friend. I love him, the same way you do."

"How do you know Antoinette Sienna?"

"We bought our bar from her. And Elijah went on a couple dates with her. And then she started stalking him. I tried to keep her away from him, but she could be relentless."

It was enough. "Forget any pain that I may have caused you. Remember only that you were a true friend to Elijah when he most needed it." He rubbed his eyes. "And, Joshua, for what it's worth, Elijah chose well."

Josh looked stunned. "Elijah? What do you mean Elijah chose well?"

Klaus blinked at that. "They didn't tell you? Sending you with him wasn't entirely Marcel and Hayley's idea. You were Elijah's choice. He asked for you. Because he had faith in your loyalty to the family. He wanted someone who wouldn't have to be compelled to look after him. He wanted someone he considered family. And he chose you." He had to laugh at stunned look on the boy's face.

"All right, well, we still have another problem. What if Antoinette wasn't the only one in Manosque? Marcel's compulsion for Elijah to come to me if anyone calls him by name was fine before we found out that the people we most need to worry about know not to do that. How do I protect him from an unknown enemy who could be just about anyone?"

"That's where I come in. I can cast a spell that would keep all vampires out of Manosque. Make you, Elijah, Marcel, and Hayley the only exceptions to that. Maybe not fair to any that are living there, but until we come up with a more permanent way to protect him, we do what we have to."

Klaus nodded. "You do that. And actually, Marcel… I want you to go with them." He closed his eyes. This was the hard part. After everything they had learned, after even having Hayley and himself tested, he was about to put his brother's life in the hands of the one person on the planet who could kill him. "Go with them, and test Elijah. With him having no idea who he is, somebody could very well have gotten to him and won him over to their side. Just leaving out the bit about him being the one they wanted to test things on."

Marcel nodded. "I can do that. And, Klaus… Thank you. I know that right now trusting me is the hardest thing in the world, for you. But, I promise you that I am a member of this family. I would no more hurt Elijah than I would hurt Rebekah. It's going to be okay."

"Hayley, I'm going to need some of your blood for the spell."

Hayley nodded and held her arm out to Keelin who rolled her eyes. But, she opened her suitcase and pulled out a medical bag. "I guess it's a good thing that the main reason I was part of this little excursion was to test Hope's blood. And that I brought extra needles and vials." A few seconds later, she handed a vial of Hayley's blood to Davina.

Klaus clapped his hands together. "Right then! We all know our current tasks. Josh is going back to his job as my brother's keeper, Davina is going to clear out Manosque, Marcel is going to make sure that Elijah hasn't become an unwitting pawn in his own destruction, and the rest of us are going to play mad scientists." And he was going to try really hard not to worry about if he was sending a fox into the chicken coop. After all, Greta's people also wanted Marcel dead. It didn't actually make any sense for him to be working with them.


	12. For Science!

_Klaus, Hayley, and Keelin run their little science experiment to test Hayley's, Hope's, and Marcel's blood._

 **~You Can't Fight Destiny~**

Thanks to Hayley's impulsiveness, they had to wait until the next day to get started. After all, Antoinette already had Klaus's blood in her system. Nobody was really sure if that would keep a werewolf bite from even affecting a vampire at all. And, while it could have been an interesting thing to add to their experiment, they had enough to deal with. And that was one experiment that Klaus didn't need any help with. All he needed was either for someone to piss him off enough to make him particularly sadistic, but not enough for him to just rip their head off. Or for someone to volunteer to be his guinea pig. Though that would have to be someone that trusted him enough to be sure that if it didn't work, he would give them his blood once the experiment was over.

But, that was a future concern. And only a concern at all if Klaus decided to make it a concern. She actually doubted that he cared enough to bother. Her concern right now was their current experiment. And that was one that did have a genuine purpose. Especially now. If there was a war between vampires and werewolves getting ready to start, it didn't hurt to know if Klaus was the only one that could help any vampires that didn't side with Greta who might end up caught in the crossfire.

But, just because she was sure that this needed to be done didn't mean that she was really sure that Keelin should be a part of it.

And, apparently she wasn't the only one. Klaus started the proceedings with a question Hayley never expected him to ask. "Keelin, are you absolutely sure you want to be a part of this?"

"Look, if we're going to do this, then we need to do it right. We need to test this. We need to test their blood. And I'd rather test it properly. Besides, this is my family, too. I may be a doctor, but I'm also a Mikaelson. Or at least I hope to be someday, when my girlfriend is ready to take some time to let herself be happy, too."

Hayley smiled at that. "You ever tell her that?"

"No. I get it. Her family has to come first. I don't blame her. I'll be there when she's ready."

Hayley just nodded, but inside she was thinking that maybe somebody should tell Freya exactly how Keelin really felt about her. It was past time that Freya let herself be happy, too.

But, that was something to deal with later. After they dealt with this latest crisis. "Okay. Let's do this."

Keelin nodded and walked up to Antoinette. "I would say that I'm sorry, but I'm really not. Even if you hadn't mentioned wanting to exterminate werewolves and witches too, you still went after my family. You still were plotting the deaths of my best friend and her twelve year old daughter. So, sorry, but not sorry. You deserve this." And then she grabbed Antoinette's arm and bit her.

And they all went back upstairs. "Okay, so what next?"

"We let her sit there for a while. Give the venom time to properly circulate a bit. It would take days for her to die, so we can let it wait. In a few hours or so, Hayley will go down and feed her some of her blood. If that doesn't do anything, then I will give her some of mine. Either way, we then wait another day to get our blood out of her system, and then you bite her again so we can test Hope's blood. And then you go home to Freya."

"Maybe I should just stick around."

"No. That wasn't the plan. Keelin, you may be family, but you are still a doctor. I don't want you involved any more than absolutely necessary. I appreciate your devotion, whether that is to the family, to science, or both. But, I won't ask you to stay longer than necessary to do your part. And I will compel you to go home if I have to. We are going to kill that woman when we're done. You have taken an oath to do no harm. We can fudge on your part in these experiments by saying that the point is to heal her and not let you do any permanent damage to her. You shouldn't be here for the execution."

Hayley rolled her eyes. When had Klaus become so eloquent, anyway. "He's right. Do what we need you to do, and then get out of here."

"Fine! Mainly because I know that there's really no point in arguing with Klaus. I mean, he just flat-out threatened to compel me."

Klaus smiled. "Good. Now then, what shall we do while we're waiting for your venom to filter through her system enough for a proper test?"

Which turned out to be board games. Because why not? For hours, they played Clue, and Scrabble, and then switched to Monopoly. After about three hours they went downstairs to find Antoinette definitely the worse for wear from Keelin's bite.

Hayley bit her own wrist and forced her blood down the bitch's throat. Not that it seemed to do much.

When Antoinette was no better an hour later, Klaus sighed and fed her some of his own blood. "Well, Little Wolf. It seems that you are not able to pass your immunity to werewolf venom on to someone else. Good to know. Now, let's all get some sleep. Tomorrow we'll test Hope's blood. And then send Keelin home."

The next day, Marcel and Davina came back. "You'll be happy to know that Elijah has not unwittingly joined the dark side."

"And, until this is over, there will be no vampires in Manosque except Elijah and Josh, unless Hayley decides to go visit Elijah, again."

Hayley laughed. "I don't think I'm going to be doing that any time soon, as much as I would like to. It might be weird for me to go out there right now. I don't want to make him wonder what's going on."

"No, the last thing we need is Elijah thinking that you're stalking him, now. Much as you may hate it, you need to stay away for a little while longer." Which made perfect sense, so why was Klaus giving her such a speculative look?

"So, where are we on our little experiment?"

"So far, we have determined that my blood does nothing for Keelin's venom. We were just getting ready to start testing Hope's blood."

"You know, it means adding more time to this, but maybe we should test my blood, while we're at it."

Klaus nodded. "That's not a bad idea, while we're here. Keelin, that means a third test from you. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah. If we're going to do this, we might as well do it right."

They all went downstairs together. Klaus clapped his hands together. "Wakey, wakey! Time for the next round of tests. By the way, we'll be adding three more rounds to this. After all, Marcel is something of an Original hybrid, now. We should see if his blood does anything. I would apologize, but seeing as you're on a mission to murder most of my family, I really am not sorry. Hayley and I are trying to raise Hope to be honest, and I need to set an example, you know. Granted, she's not here, but I don't want to get into bad habits that might slip when she's around. So, honesty above all else. And, I'm really not sorry."

Hayley rolled her eyes. "Honestly, Klaus? Must you always be so melodramatic?"

Marcel laughed. "That's Klaus for you. Ever the showman. Anyway, time for the next test. Go ahead, Keelin." Once Keelin bit Antoinette, he looked up. "So, how long do we wait?"

"We give it a couple hours to circulate, and then we'll give her some of your blood. Give that a few hours, and if it doesn't work, we'll give her some of my blood."

Marcel nodded and they headed back upstairs. "So, what do we do while we wait?"

"We've been playing board games. It passes the time."

Davina giggled. "I'm having a hard time imagining Klaus playing board games."

Hayley laughed. "We started out with Clue. Then Scrabble when we got bored. But, we had to give up on that one because our resident thousand year old pain in the ass kept coming up with weird, archaic words that neither Keelin or I had ever heard of, before. So, we switched to Monopoly. But, if you two have any other ideas on how to pass the time for the rest of the week or so it's going to take us to do this, I'm all ears."

Davina sighed and pulled out her phone. A minute later, she had Kol on Facetime. "I need a deck of cards, and the poker chips."

"It'll take a while for them to get there. Wouldn't it be simpler for you to go to a store and buy some?"

Davina rolled her eyes. "Get them out, put them on the table, then hold the phone up so I can see them." She turned to the others. "You'd think he didn't live with a witch. You'd think he didn't use to _be_ a witch."

Hayley giggled at that. "Well, in his defense, they didn't exactly have smartphones back in the days when he was a witch."

"Still, it's an extremely simple conjuring spell. I'm just asking him to help make it a bit easier." And then she put the phone down, stood up, and started chanting.

And then there was a deck of cards and a poker chip organizer on the table in front of them. "There! That should give us something else to do. Great thing about cards is that when we get bored with one game, we just switch to another one."

"I see why my brother likes you. Ever the resourceful little witch, aren't you?"

So, they divided up the chips and played Texas Hold 'em. Nobody was really surprised when Klaus ended up the big winner. And then Marcel went downstairs to feed Antoinette some of his blood.

An hour later, they all went down to check on her. "Damn. I had hopes. Though, I guess I shouldn't really be surprised. I mean, it's not like that serum was created to be helpful to anyone but Lucian. Damn sociopath was hardly the type to care about helping anyone else."

"Yes, well. I am actually sorry, Marcel." Klaus sighed and bit his own wrist, then fed Antoinette his blood. "Right then. Tomorrow we'll test Hope's blood, and then Keelin can go home to Freya, while we finish up, here."

It was the next day that they got their first pleasant surprise. Hope's blood did what neither Hayley's or Marcel's did. Klaus held up the arm that Keelin had bitten. "Well, would you look at that. We should call Caroline, let her know about this. It could be useful, considering that school she runs."

Hayley nodded. "I'll tell her. At least we got some good news out of this."

"Right then. Keelin, I'll drive you to the airport, compel you onto the next plane back to New Orleans. Davina, are you staying, or are you ready to go home, too?"

"I'm staying. You could end up needing a witch for something, still, and I'd rather be here, than have to take the time to travel, again. Besides, this is hardly going to be the end of it, right? When we're done here, we should probably all go to Mystic Falls. Make sure the school is safe before Hope goes back. Klaus and Marcel can compel other vampires without my help, but I don't fully trust anybody but me or Freya to make Mystic Falls a safe zone after that. Makes more sense for me to do it before Hope gets there, than you guys waiting to have Freya do it."

Klaus smiled. "Kol did good. You, little witch, make a very good Mikaelson."

Hayley put her hand to her mouth to hide a smile at the way Davina's eyes lit up at the praise. Though, she understood it. It was something that they both had in common. Neither of them had truly belonged anywhere until meeting the Mikaelsons. They were family in a way that nobody else had ever really been. Knowing they felt the same way certainly felt good.

Klaus drove Keelin to the airport, then. And the next day they started testing against Hayley's venom.

It took them over a week, running an experiment a day, giving time in between for the blood Antoinette was given to heal her to get out of her system. But, eventually, they knew where they all stood.

Hayley's blood did nothing. Not even against her own venom. Marcel's blood was also a dead end, which he continued to be disappointed about. On the other hand, Hope could cure everything, even Klaus's bite.

But, there was still the execution to deal with. And for that, Marcel stepped in. Judging by the look on Klaus's face when Marcel bit Antoinette, he wasn't expecting that.

"Hope is my sister. And she's just a kid. You know how I feel about hurting kids."

"I had planned on ripping her heart out. But, considering the plans she had for our family, I think I like your way better. Davina, love, do be a dear and soundproof the basement for us? I don't know how long it will take this bitch to die, and I don't want to listen to her in the meantime."

Davina nodded and then put her hands up and started chanting. A few minutes later she smiled. "All right. Let's go upstairs where we don't have to listen to her."


End file.
